NATURAL 

AND 

STATISTICAL VIEW, 

OR 

PICTURE OF CINCINNATI 

AND THE 

MIAMI COUNTRY, 

ILLUSTRATED BY MAPS. 



WITH AN 

APPENDIX, 

COSTAININ& 
OBSERVATIONS ON 

The late EarthqiialceSy the Aurora Borecdls^ 
and South'ivest Wind. 



BY IhlJSriEL DRAEE. 



CINCINNATI: "^''^^^^5^1:1!^'^ 

PRINTED BY LOOKER AND WALLACE. 

1815, 



f 4^^ 



District of Ohio, to ivit. 

Be it REMEMBrnio), that on the sixth day of September, iff 
the 3'ear of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, 
and in the fortieth year of the independence of the United States 
^f Americaj Daniel Drake, of the said district, hath deposited in 
this ofxice the title of a book, th^ right whereof he claims aS 
author, in the words following', to wit : 

♦* Natural and Statistical View, or Picture of Cincinnati and 
'* the Miami country, illustrated by maps. With an Appendix, 
*' containing observations on the late Earthquakes, the Aurora 
** Uorealis and South-west Wind. By Daniel Drake." 

In conformity to the act of congress of the United States, 
entitled ♦* An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing 
the copies of maps, charts and books, to the authors and proprie- 
tors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned,'* and 
also of the act entitled " An act supplementary to an act entitled 
♦ An act for the encourageirient pf learning, by securing the 
copies of maps, charts and books, to the authors and proprietors 
of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extend- 
ir.g the benefit thereof to the arts of designing, engraving and 
fctthing historical and other prints.' " 

A copy-attest, O^lUMl^HEEY FULLERTON, 

Cl^'lc Ohio District 



TO 
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JARED MANSFIELB, 

"PROFESSOR OF NATURAI, AND EXPEUIHEJITAL PltlLOSOPHT IK TH« 
r:!fITEB STATES* MIHTASX ACADEMY. 

DEAR SIR 

/ trust you will pardon my inscribing to you, 
without permi<isionf the following work $ when I avow 
that my chief inducement for using your name^ is 
the opportunity it affords^ of expressing the unmingled 
pleasure with tvhich I cherish the recollection of your 
instructive converse, while sojourning, with your family y 
in the vicinity of Cincinnati. 

How long a time must elapse before we shall again 
enjoy such enviable society ; — or at what future ptenod 
the Miami country will be prepared for the reception 
and permanent residence of learning and philosophy, it 
would be venturesome at this time to predict. In th^ 
mean while, it is consoling to reflect, that, in our arduous 
ascent to the exalted level of our elder sisters, we have 
the good wishes of their most liberal and enlightened 
citizens^ among whom your numerous friends in this 
quarter, will never fail to assign you an elevated and 
conspicuous rank. 

With sentiments of true and respectful attachment ^ 
I anif dear $ir. 

Four obedient friend and servant, 

DJiJVIEL DR^KE. 



PREFACE. 



Is the year 1810^ tlie Aiitbor of tlie following 
work, composed a pamphlet on tlie Topography, 
Climate and Diseases of CiDcinnati ; a few 
copies of which were printed and disiri bated, 
chiefly, anioni^ his medical and scientific friends, 
for whom only it was desi:^ned. The perusal of 
it, however, was not confined to them ; and se- 
veral applications were made to obtain copies 
for the use of travellers in quest of infoimatiou 
concerning this country. It v/as these applica- 
tions which, two years ago, suggested i'le advan- 
tage that wouUl result from a more extei^iled, and 
less professional work, of a similar kind ; and a 
prospectus was accordingly sent abroad. For 
more than a year, it remained doubtful whether 
sufficient patronage would be afforded to v/arrant 
the risk of publication ; and as this was an in- 
dispensable prerequisite, the preparation of tlie 
manuscript was consequently suffered to languish. 
The causes which have since deferred its com- 
pletion, are many and imperious ; but as they no 
longer interest the public, it would be useless to 
detail them. 

With respect to the subjects which compose 
the book; it may be observeil; that an accouutt>f 
A2 



Ti PREFACE. 

a village in the woods^ necessarily differs from 
that of a populous city^ as widely as their land- 
scapes vary from each other. The former dwells 
on natural objects and advantages ; while the 
latter exhibits the progress of improvement, and 
expatiates on tlie works of art. They are, more- 
over, read for different purposes : — We desire to 
kuow what there is in a new country, that can 
recommend an emigration thither : in a city, we 
seek for that which is worthy of imitation or 
adoption. Thus tiie Picture of Cincinnati 
will be found to contain a larger proportion of 
natural history, than any of the works which 
have lately appeared east of The mountains^ un- 
der similar titles. The author does not appre- 
hend that this will diminio'i the value of the book, 
however unusual it may !)e considered; but he 
deeply regrets his not being able to assert that 
in this portion of the work there is that accuracy, 
fulness and perspicuity which the interests of 
science require. To those who are experimen- 
tally accpjaiiited wiih the difficulties attending 
the acquisition of elementary knowl: dge in clie- 
mislry, ajGology, botany, and the oti;er physical 
sciences — -without apparatus, with but f w bocks, 
arjd no arraui^ed collections ; — or even to tiiose 
who have felt the minor embarrassments attend- 
ing the practical study of these branches, without 
practical works, he need make no apology. lu 
the oilier chapters, it is hoped, that not many 
errors or exaggerations exist ; as it has been the 
author's constant aim to write a history, a<id not 
a p locgyric. Still, as accidental associations 
and local attachments^are liable to give an undue 



PREFACE. vii 

degree of meanness or excellence to many of the 
objects among which we have spent the greater 
part of our lives ; he is unwilling to flatter him- 
self that he has not made some statements which 
may be pronounced partial, or even erroneous. 
To point out these, is peculiarly the province of 
that domestic criticism, which he chooses to in- 
vite, rather than deprecate. 

There may be readers who will consider the 
work as extending further, on some points, than 
can be justified by its title ; but this impression 
would be erroneous. No subject is introduced 
that has not a connexion with the town, and were 
any such to be omitted, the plan would obviously 
be defective. A book of this kind sliould con- 
tain whatevei it is desirable to know, concerning 
the spot of which it privfesses to treat. The 
relations of a town with the suiTounding country, 
are an essential part of its iiistory, and cannot be 
understood without studying bo^h. The Author 
is by no means so confident, that he has adopted 
the best mode of exhibiting this iuformation : and 
in givingit a formal distribution under the heads 
which have been employed fur geographical de- 
lineations of greater extent, he does noi expect 
to escape tlie charge of a precise and finical de- 
votion to metiiod ; but with the hope, that the 
opportunity it aiTorded of disposing tl:e materials 
in that state of arrangement v/hicl> will facilitate 
a reference to any particular subject, he felt no 
disposition to pursue a different plan, merely to 
avoid so harmless a criticism. A more ample 
field for antmadvers*3n, will perha^,s be found m 
the examination of his style. 'Tis true, the 



Tiii PREFxVCB. 

merit of a topographical work^ composed chiefly 
of facts and observations, does not depend alto- 
gether on the choice and collocation of the words 
in which it is expressed ; but still it is the sacred 
duty of every writer to improve, rather than cor- 
rn[)t his km^uage. The Author performs, there- 
foie, merely an act of justice to himself, w lien he 
declares that the imperfections in his style have 
arisen neither from indolence, nor contempt of 
public opinion, but from causes which lie beyond 
the sphere of his control ; and at the same time, 
it is equally due to the reputation of his fellow 
townsmen, that he should protest against the 
reception of this performance as a fair specimen 
of their literature. 

The map of the Miami country , which includes 
also tiie adjoining parts of Kentucky, so as to 
exhibit an entire view of the tracts dependent on 
Cincinnati as their emporium, has been compiled 
with much care by Mr. Thomas Danby, from the 
following materials,furiiished him by the Author: 
1. The correct and beautiful map of Oliio, pub- 
lished in i807? by the late captain J. F. Mans- 
field, from the official returns in the office of the 
Surveyor General of the United States* ; — 2. 
Transcripts from the plats in the oflice just men- 
tioned, of such parts of this district as lie west of 
the state of Ohio ; — 3. A manuscript map of the 
counties watered by the eastern branch of tlie 
Little Miami; procured from the Auditor of tha 



* The copyrig-ht of this map has lately been sold to Messrs. 
Houj^h 8t B'srne, of ChiUicothe ; who hav« puhlished a new and 
enlarg-^d impression of it, with the addition of an accurate sva> 
vey of the Virg-inia Military Reserve* 



PREFACE. ix 

State ; — 4. A map of Campbell county, in Ken- 
tucky, furnished by General Taylor ; — and 5. 
Personal observation and research through most 
of the district, with oral and manuscript informa- 
tion from various persons. The plan of the town 
has been executed by the same gentleman, on a 
scale of 800 feet to an inch, from materials ob- 
tained chiefly at the office where tiie surveys of 
the town- plat are recorded ; and has therefore 
all the accuracy which can be conveniently given 
to such a work. The plate representing geo- 
metrically the comparative temperatures of each 
month in the Atlantic and Western States, which 
was promised in the prospectus, has been omitted 
I for want of the proper eastern observations. 

The two first papers of the Appendix were 
read before the School of Literature & the Arts, 
in 1814; and have been extracted, by permission, 
from the register of that society. The third has 
already appeared in The Port Folio ; but as only 
a small proportion of the inhabitants of the Mi- 
ami countr.y have an opportunity of reading that 
valuable Maga;sjiiie ; and as the Author has col- 
lected some additional facts, he considered the 
reprinting of it not improper. 

It only remains for the Author to make a pub- 
lic acknowledgement of obligation, to those gen- 
tlemen who have aided him by their communica- 
I tions, in the difficult and tedious business of col- 
\ lecting small facts ; and to those young friends, 
whose assistance, in the correction of the work, 
has brouglit it before t]ie public in a more perfect 
condition than it would otherwise have attained. 
Cincinnati^ Ohio, September, 1815. 



CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS. 

It will be seen in the first chapter, that the popula- 
tion of Kentucky for 1814 and 1820, is not what should 
result from the data given. Wronaj numbers were trans- 
cribed from the table of prospective calculations — and 
the reader will please to substitute for them, 464,000 
and 565,000. In the section devoted to a comparison 
between the climates of some portions of the Eastern and 
Western States, line 17 of pagje 124, the sentence " 3. 
The greater elevation of the interior region^"^^ is mispla- 
ced, and should be read immediately after the word 
'< Mleghenies,^^ which closes the fourth line from the 
bottom of page 123. The Cincinnati Gazette has been 
discontinued, since the chapter in which it is announced 
was printed. I'o the catalogue of marine exuvise ther« 
may, perhaps.be added one or two species of cardium, 
or cockle. The soft-shelled turtle, mentioned in treat- 
ing of the climate, is the testudo ferox of Lineeeiis. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS, 



CHAPTER I. 

Oeographical and Historical Introduction 


PAGE, 

13 


^^ . _ CHAPTER II. 

Physical Topography 


61 


CHAPTER III. 

Civil Topography 


- ±29 


CHAPTER IV. 

Political Topography 


169 


CHAPTER V. 

Medical Topography - . . 


- 179 


CHAPTER YI. 
Antiquities - - , . 


199 


CHAPTER VII. 
Conelusioa - - . 


- 210 


APPENDIX. 
Earthquakes - - ^ 


- 53S 


Aurora Borealis ... 


245 


South-west Wind . . 


• 217 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

CHAPTER I. 

GEOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL 
INTRODUCTION. 

Section /. OHIO RIVER, 

The river Ohio is formed by the union of tlio 
Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Pittsburgh, in 
latitude (according to Mr. de Ferrer) 40° 26' io" north, 
and in longitude iVoni Washington 2^ 56' west. It 
passes, for a short distance, through the state of Penn- 
sylvania, and then constitutes the line of division be- 
tween the states of Virginia and Kentucky on the south, 
and the state of Ohio, the Indiana and Illinois Territo- 
ries on the north. In latitude 37° 00' 2l" north, and 
longitude 11** 56' 22'' west (from the mean observations 
of EUicot and de Ferrer) it joins the Mississippi, hav- 
ing meandered in a west-south-west course upwards of 
900 miles. The Allegheny, however, which, at its 
origin in the mountains of that name, interlocks with 
the Susquehanna and Genesee, and whose length may 
be estimated at 300 miles, is to be regarded as the Ohio 
under another name, making the entire length of this 

B 



14 PICTURE OF CINCmNATL 

great river upwards of* 1200 miles — ^almost three times 
the leni^tli of the Susquehanna, including the Chesa- 
peake Bay, and four times the length of either the 
Potomac, Delaware, Hudson or Connecticut river. Its 
v.idth, at Cincinnati, which is nearly equidistant from 
Pittsburgh and its confluence with the Mississippi, is 
S34 yards ; which may be assumed as its mean breadth. 
Its annual range from low to high water, at the same 
place, is about 50 feet ; the extreme range nearly 10 
feet more. When lowest, it may be forded in several 
places above Louisville. The greatest depressions are 
generally in August, September and October ; the 
gjreatest rises in December, March, May and June. 
Its mean annual temperature, 8 inches beneath the sur- 
face, at Cincinnati, is nearly 56 degrees ; its greatest 
summer heat, 82 degrees, and its lowest winter heat, 
32 degrees. Near Pittsburgh it is almost every winter 
frozen over for several weeks ; this has even been the 
case more than 400 miles below that town. Generally 
the navigation upwards is suspended by lloating ice 
during eight or ten weeks of the winter. Its current, 
when of a mean height, is estimated at three miles an 
hour ; when higher, and rising, it is more ; when very 
low, it does not exceed two miles. Its valley has the 
medium breadth of one mile; in some places it is con- 
tracted to half that width, and in others, as at the junc- 
tion of the tributary streams, expanded to a mile and a 
half, or two miles. 

It is generally serpentine, and presents to the eye of 
the voyager an uniform succession of hills and decli- 
vities, which display, in spring, the blooming elegance 
of a luxuriant garden, in summer, the rich verdure 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 15 

of a lofty and hoiiinlless forest; aiul in autumn, a splen- 
did tissue of green, o'oM and eriiuson foliage. In 
winter, an occasional precipice, with a brow ovevliun;^ 
by red cedars, exhibits considerable j^randeur — but va- 
riety and sublimity are not predominant features ef this 
gcenery ; and the pleasure it aftords to the traveller of 
taste, is chiefly referable to its beauty, freshness and 
tranquility. 

The Ohio contains about a hundred islands,* or 
one for every nine miles. In a space of one hundred 
miles, however, between the states of Kentucky and 
Ohio, there are none. A few of these islands are cul- 
tivated ; many are too small and barren for advanta- 
geous improvement, and a larg'C proportion are liable to 
occasional inundation. They form no serious obstruc- 
tion to the navigation of the river, except in low water, 
when the bars and ripples connected with them, are 
somewhat dangerous. 

There are but two considerable rapids. The first, 
called Le Tart's, is about 230 miles below Pittsburgh. 
It is a ripple caused by rocks — rather dangerous in low 
water, perceptible when the water is at a mean height, 
but not discoverable in moderate floods. The other, 
560 miles below Pittsburgh, opposite tlie town of Louis- 
ville, called, by way of pre-eminence, the Falls, has a, 
descent of 22 1-2 feet in two miles. Tlie bed of the 
river consists of stratified, level, limestone. In low 
water, lofvded boats cannot descend ; in a medium flood, 
they pass down in safety, under the direction of a pilot; 
in high water, an increased velocity of current is ail 

* See Cramei'i Narlgator, 



16 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

that is perceived. A company has been formed for 
opening a canal round these rapids, on the south side, 
and the preparatory operations are already commenced. 

Among the southern tributary streams of the Ohio, 
the principal are the ]MonongaheIa, Kenlia\\a, Great 
Sandy, Licking, Kentucky, Salt, Greene, Cuniberland 
and Tennessee ; which interlock with the rivers of the 
Atlantic ocean, from the Chesapeake to tlie Mobile Bay 
inclusively. The northern tributary streams are the 
Allegheny, Beaver, Muskingum, Hockhocking, Scioto, 
Little and Great Mlauiies and Wabash ;' wliieli inter- 
lock with the waters of Chesapeake Bay to the east, 
and of the Lakes Ontario, Erie and Michigan to the 
north. These rivers, above the Scioto, have their ge- 
neral course parallel to the meridian : below that river, 
most of them run south-west and north-west. Those 
on the south side of the Ohio are of the greatest length. 
and originating in mountains, afford more water, but in 
consequence of falls, are not, generally, superior for 
navigation, to the shorter rivers of tlie nortli. 

The region drained by these rivers, has about 9° of 
mean longitude, and Q^ of mean latitude. Its extremes 
of longitude are from near 1° S' to ii° 50' ; those of 
latitude from 31° 20' to about 42^ ±5\ Its area may be 
estimated at 215,000 square miles (137,000,000 acres) 
equal to nearly one-fourth part the area of the United 
States, before the cession of Louisiana — more than three 
times greater than that of New-England — and as great, 
at least, as that of all the Atlantic states north of the 
Potomac. To the east, south-east and south, it is 
hounded by the Allegheny and Cumberland mountains ; 
to the north and west, its borders are level, and but lit- 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. ir 

tie liiajlier than the centre. Throughout the whole, 
there is not a single lake or sandy plain, of any consi 
derable extent. 

In adverting to the political divisions of this region, 
we find that it comprehends a part of New-York, Penn- 
sylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South 
Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, the Mississippi, 
Indiana and Illinois Territories, and the whole of Ken- 
tucky ; four times as many states, as contribute to the 
formation of any river east of the Alleghenies. 

The length assigned to the Ohio, by Hutchins, is 11S8 
miles. The circumstances under which his estimate 
w^as made, were unfavorable to accuracy; and his state- 
ment was long since believed, even by himself, to be 
erroneous. This has appeared clearly, since the sur- 
vey by the United States, of nearly the whole northern 
hank of the river. From the plats of that survey, de- 
posited in the office of the Surveyor General, as far as 
they extend, and from estimations of the remainder, , 
by data, presumed to be nearly correct, the following 
table of distances has been compiled: 



FROM 


PITTSBURGH 




To Big Beaver - 


30 


Louisville 


54 


Little Beaver 


13 


Salt river 


23 


Steubenville 


26 


Anderson's river 


98 


Wheeling 


26 


Green river 


..^i2 


Marietta 


83 


Wabash river 


61 


Great Kenhavva 


87 


Shawnoetown 


10 


Big Sandy 


47 


Cave -in-rock 


20 


Scioto river - 


40 


Cumberland river 


40 


Maysville 


50 


Tennessee river 


12 


Little Miami - 


56 


Fort Massac 


• 8 


Cincinnati 


/ 


Mississippi 


38 


Great Miami - 


20 






Kentucky river 


48 


Total, 


908 




B 


2 





IS PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Section ii, STATE OP OHIO, 
SITUATION AND ASPECT. 

In the nortiiern part of that extensive tract, the out- 
line of which has been briefly sketched, lies the state of 
Oliio. It is bounded by Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ken- 
tucky, tlie Indiana and Michigan Territories, and 
Upper Canada. From the first, it is separated by a 
meridian line running to the northern boundary of the 
United States in Lake Erie, from the junction of Little 
Beaver creek with the Ohio ; this river, to the mouth 
of Big Sandy, separates it from part of Virginia, and 
from Kentucky, to the mouth of the Great Miami. 
From that point it is bounded by a meridian line to the 
parallel of the latitude (not yet determined by observa- 
tion) of the southern end of Lake Michigan ; a line to 
be run on that parallel, and a portion of the national 
boundary in Lake Erie, divide it from the Territory 
of Michigan and the province of Upper Canada. 

The extreme latitudes of this state may be estimated 
at 38° 30' and 43° north ; the longitudes are about 
3° 3o' and >° 40' west. Its mean distance from the 
^equator, is that of Pennsylvania, Jersey, Spain, Portu- 
gal, Turkey, and the northern parts of China and Japan. 
Its form is eJegible, approaching nearer to the square 
than any other geometrical figure. Its mean breadth, 
from east to west, is about 190 miles; the greatest 220; 
its mean length, from south to north, measuring only to 
the shore of Lake Erie, is about 200 ; the greatest, 
which is on a meridian passing through the head of 
Mauraee Bay, is not precisely known. Its greatest 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 19 

diagonal line, extending from north-east to south-west, 
is nearly 300. Its area, excluding the Lake, may be 
estimated in round numbers at 40,000 square miles : 
equal to 25,000,000 of acres. 

In its aspect, this state does not afford much variety. 
The south-eastern portions are hilly, but not mountain- 
ous ; the remainder is generally level, except in the 
vicinity of the Ohio and some of its larger tributary 
streams : many considerable tracts are so flat, as to 
abound in ponds and marshes. Its rivers flow either 
into the Ohio or Lake Erie. Those which contribute to 
the former, are Great Miami, Scioto and Muskingum of 
the first, and Little Miami, Hockhocking and Big Bea- 
ver of the second magnitude. Those of the latter, are 
the Maumee, Sandusky and Cayahoga of the first, and 
Raisin, Portage, Huron, Black, Rocky, Chaguin, 
Grand and Ashtabula, of the second magnitude. Its 
line of coast on Lake Erie is by estimation 230 
miles ; on the opposite side it is bounded by the Ohio 
river 420, making an extent of 670 miles, from which 
its productions may be embarked in shij)S for foreign 
markets. 



DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 

The first Europeans mIio explored this country were 
the French. By them the Gulph of St. Lawrence, the 
outlet of the rivers which water the northern part of 
Ohio, was discovered in 1534. In 1680 M. de la Salle, 
a Frenchman, in an inland voyage, from Quebec to the 
Mississippi, traversed, before any other white map, 
the tract between the Lakes and Ohio river. TJiis 



20 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

adventure was imitated bj many of his countrymen, who 
for the succeeding 70 years seem to liave been the ex- 
clusive visitors of this region. During that period, no 
settlement was made by them within this state, and but 
one on tlie waters of the Ohio : this is Vineennes, on 
the eastern bank of the Wabash, which was commen- 
ced, as Volney conjectures, about the year 1735. In 
1750 the British government granted to a company 
600,000 acres of land, on the waters of the Ohio river. 
This company having attempted to make an establish- 
ment, excited the apprehensions of the French traders, 
and the governor of Canada opened a communication 
from the fort at Presqu' Isle, down the Allegheny to 
the Ohio river, stationing troops at intermediate distan- 
ces. In 1753, they built Fort du Quesne, at the junc- 
tion of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. In 
1758 tlie English compelled them to evacuate it, and 
gave it the name of Fort Pitt, which has since been al- 
tered to Pittsburgh. In 1763, by treaty, the British 
power succeeded to the French, in the countries lying 
between the AUeghenies and Mississippi. The colonists 
of the former immediately commenced emigrations to 
the Ohio. They did not, however, descend that river a 
great distance ; for the war of the revolution succeed- 
ing, the governor of Canada incited the Indians against 
the frontier settlers, and thereby suspended the exten- 
sion of settlements to the west, for several years. The 
treaty of peace with Great Britain, left the United States 
still subject to Indian depredation on the north-west; 
and it was not until 1788, that any settlement was be- 
gun, within the present limits of the state of Ohio. In 
the spring of that year, a party from New-England, un- 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 21 

der the direction of Riifus Putnam, was sent out by the 
Ohio Company, and made an establishment at the mouth 
of the Muskingum river, which they called Marietta. 
In the following autumn, John Cleves Symmes, from the 
state of New-Jersey, commenced the settlement of 
North -Bend, above the confluence of the Great Miami 
with the Ohio. At the same period (wliere Cincinnati 
has been since built) fort Washington was established, 
and the settlement of Columbia, below the mouth of the 
Little Miami, undertaken. From these points, settle- 
ments were extended along the Muskin^m and Miami 
rivQrs ; but their progress vvas slow, until the treaty of 
Greenville, in 1795. The causes which precluded a 
rapid increase of population and improvement, being 
then removed, the advancement of both, since that time, 
has been unexampled — the former amounting, as we 
shall see hereafter, to more than 300,000 : the latter 
extending over nearly 20,000 square miles, and rising, 
in many parts, to refinement and elegance. 

JURISDICTION AND RIGHT OF SOIL. 

From her discoveries and conquests, on the eastern 
coast of North America, Great Britain claimed territo- 
rial jurisdiction over the continent, from the Atlantic 
to the Pacific ocean. Conformably to this assumption, 
were the charters granted to her subjects. At tlie 
treaty of 1763, she relinquished to France her preten- 
sions to the country west of the Mississippi ; but the re- 
gion east of that river, as far as the mountains, remained 
patented to two of the colonies. Virginia claimed that 
betv^eon the paralleh of 36° 30' and 41° north j and 



21 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Connecticut that from 41S to 42"^. In the treaty oi' 
1783, Great Britain ackiiowledged tlie sovereignty of 
this country. By this acknowledgement, the Congress 
of the United States were enabled to exercise over the 
North-Westcrn Territory, a jurisdiction of (he same 
kind which they exercised over the original states ; 
liut wanted tlie pre-emption of the soil, and the power 
of establishing colonial governments. These were 
soon granted.! In 1784 Virginia resigned to them her 
whole jurisdiction north of the Ohio, and her title to the 
soil within the present limits of the state of Ohio, except 
the tract between the Scioto and Little Miami rivers.* 
In 1786, Connecticut ceded her claim to the soil and 
jurisdiction of that part of her territory which lies west 
of a meridian line, 120 miles distant from the western 
boundary of Pennsylvania. In 1800 she relinquished 
her jurisdiction over the part which lies east of thut 
meridian, but retained her claim to the soil. This tract 
is known by the name of Connecticut Reserve or New= 
Connecticut. 

It only remained for the United States to pur- 
chase the soil and its possession from the Indians, 
which, in the eastern and southern parts of the Terri- 
tory, was accomplished at the following periods. 

By treaties in 1785— 6, the Indians north-west of the 
Oliio, ceded the lands watered by the Muskingum, 
Scioto, Little and Great Miami rivers ; but this treaty 

* In this session, no part of tlie Ohio river, nor Its islands, 
was included ; and tke legislature of this state has authorised 
the governor to appoint commissioners, to meet others from the 
states of Vii-g-inia and Kentucky, for the purpose of settling the 
question of jurisdiction. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 2s 

not restoring tranquility and good will, in 1788 another 
was held, in which the tract lying south and east 
of a line running from the mouth of the Cayahoga to the 
AVabash, was ceded : several tribes, however, being 
still dissatisfied, this cession also proved inefficient. 

At the Greenville treaty of 1795, twelve tribes attend- 
ed, and sold to the United States all the lands in the 
North -Western Territory, east and south of a line, com- 
menoingat the mouth of the Cayahoga, and running up 
that river to the portage between it and the Tuscarawas, 
one of the branches of the Muskingum 5 thence down 
that stream to the mouth of Sandy creek ; thence west, 
to that point on Loramie's creek, where the portage to 
the river St. Mary commences ; thence westvvardly to 
fort Recovery, on tlie head waters of the Wabash ; and 
thence south-westwardly, to a point on the Ohio, oppo- 
site the mouth of the Kentucky river. Sixteen small 
tracts, for forts and factories, were also sold 5 eight of 
which are in the state of Ohio. These bargains were 
respected. 

In 1805, a session was made by seven tribes, of that 
part of the Connecticut Reserve, which lies w^est of the 
Cayahoga. The western boundary of this session, is a 
meridian line intersecting Lake Erie, through the mid- 
dle of Sandusky Bay. 

In 1807, a sale was made by four tribes, of a tract, 
chiefly in the Michigan Territory, but including that part 
of this state which extends north of the Maumee, and east 
of a meridian line passing the mouth of the Auglaize, 
one of its southern branches. 

Five tribes, in 1808, ceded a slip of territory two 
miles wide, running from the western boundary of the 



24 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Connecticut Reserve, to the rapids of the Maumee; and 
another, 120 feet in width, extending from the lower 
military reserve on the Sandusky river to the boundary 
of the treaty of 1795. These purchases were for the 
purpose of opening roads.* 

By the foregoing cessions, which were made for annu- 
ities of cash, merchandise, household utensils and agri- 
cultural implements, the United States acquired an in- 
disputable right to the soil of about two-thirds of the 
state of Ohio, with the exceptions of the Connecticut 
Reserve and the tract between the Scioto and Little 
Miami rivers. A part of these lands, including the 
mouths of the Muskingum and Hockhocking, t\'as sold 
to the Ohio Company ; another portion, between the 
Great and Little Miamies, was sold to John Cleves 
Symmes. The balance, after making large reservations 
for military purposes, specific donations, education, reli- 
gion, and the future disposition of Congress, has been 
surveyed and offered for sale in small tracts. For these 
the purchasers receive the patent of the President of the 
United States, a title as incontestible and permanent, as 
the sovereignty of the nation. 

In 1787, Congress commenced an exercise of their 
colonial jurisdiction over the North-Western Territory, 
by passing an ordinance for its government. Accord- 
ing to the provisions of this ordinance, a Governor, 
Secretary and three Judges were to be appointed by the 
President, and to perform, in addition to their judicial 
and executive functions, the partial legislative busi- 
ness of adopting laws from the codes t)f the original 

• Land laws of the United States. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 25 

states. This first grade of colonial government, was 
to continue until the Territory contained 5000 free 
male inhabitants of full age, when tlie imperfect legis- 
lation of the Governor and Judges Mas to be superseded 
by that of a General Assembly, consisting of a House 
of Representatives elected by the people, and a Legis- 
lative Council appointed by Congress, from nomina- 
tions made by the House of Representatives. By this 
General Assembly a Delegate was to be chosen to re- 
present the Territory in the National Legislature.— 
This second grade of Territorial government, founded 
on a relinquishment, in part, of the prerogative of the 
United States, was to continue over each division into 
whieh the Territory might be separated, until its po- 
pulation amounted to 60,000 ; when the colonial prero- 
gative of the General Government was to cease entirely, 
and the division be admitted into the Union on an ecjual 
footing with the other states. The officers appointed 
under the first of these provisions, administered the 
government of the whole Territory till 1799, when the 
second grade commenced. A separation from the Ter- 
ritory, of what has been since called the state of Ohio, 
was soon after made, and the same form of government 
continued in it until April, 1802, when Congress passed 
a law enabling the people of this division to form a 
constitution, which w as done the same year, and in 1803 
the state government went into full operation. 

That part of the state not yet purchased from the 
Indians, which is the north west corner, contained in 
1811, the following fragments of tribes, to the names 
of which the estimated number of souls is annexed ; 
C 



26 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Shawanoese - 700 

Ottoways - - 650 

AVyandots - - 300 

Senecas - - 220 

Delawares and Miinsees 200 

Making d 970, for the whole Indian population of the 
' state. At the present time it is perhaps less. The 
Shawanoese reside on the heads of the Auglaize and 
Great Miami — the Ottoways principally on Lake Erie 
—the Wyandots on the Sandusky— the Senecas, Dela- 
wares and Munsees on the same river and its tributary 
streams.* 

POPULATION. 

The principal inducements for immigration to this 
state are, the fertility of its soil ; the low prices of 
lands, and entire security of titles; the high price of 
labor, and the exclusion of slavery. For several years 
the Indian war opposed the operation of these induce- 
ments, but the Greenville treaty of 1795, brought them 
into full effect. Fortunately, they happened to attract 
most attention,in the Northern and Middle states,which 
are at all times able to furnish the greatest number of 
emigrants. In the Northern, especially, where the 
means of subsistence bear the smallest proportion to the 
population, these advantages have been fully appreci- 
ated, as appears from the prevalence of the manners 
and customs of New-England, over most of this state. 
The extraordinary emigration from that quarter can. 
not be wholly attributed to these inducements, but has 
arisen in part from a portion of the north of this state 

* Letter from John Johnston, Esq. Indian Agent. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 21 

being owned by Connecticut. In the same way the re- 
tention, by Virginia, of her right to the soil between 
the Little Miami and Scioto rivers, has been an addi- 
tional motiv^e with the people of that state for migra- 
tions to this. The prohibition of slavery has contribu- 
ted greatly to the population of this state. The ope- 
ration of this cause lias not been confined to those states 
in which the practice of slavery is abolished, but has 
extended throughout the south, and is likely for many 
years to continue in full operation. It has even turned 
the current of European emigration from Kentucky and 
Tennessee, and spread it widely over Ohio. 

The progress of increase, in this state, has been 
equally rapid wiih that of immigration. From the 
abundance of subsistence, the preventive checks to po- 
pulation do not operate, and marriages are both early 
and productive. IMales frequently marry before twenty- 
one, and females before seventeen The positive checks 
are neither numerous nor powerful. The diseases pe- 
culiar to new countries, and incidental to those who 
change their climate, have an effect, not susceptible of 
estimation, but which is unquestionably considerable. 
This however, is the only cause to which much should 
be ascribed. From Ml^^ to 1812, there was no Indian 
war. The loss of lives, in the campaigns of 1812 and 
1813 was great, but is not perceptible to observation ; 
nor will it produce a sensible diminution in the ratio of 
increase. Those who perished were chiefly young 
men, a portion of our population that is always in ex- 
cess, and which when reduced is soon restored by immi- 
gration. 

It may not be uninteresting to compare the progress 
of population in the new transmoutane states — ^Tennes- 



28 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

see, Kentucky and Ohio. Lyini^ nearly in the same 
meridian, and almost equally remote from tlie parent 
states, their settlement may be supposed to have pro- 
ceeded on similar principles, although not commenced 
at the same period. Within the limits of Tennessee, 
formerly attached to North Carolina, there were 2000 
inhabitants as early as l77o. In the same year, the 
settlement of Kentucky, then a county of Virginia, 
eommenced, and twelve years later, in lyS/", the settle- 
ment of Ohio was begun. 

The following table exhibits the population of these 
states, a^ ascertained by the three successive enumera- 
tions of the general government : 

In 1791 In 1800 In l8io 

Tennessee 35,691 105,602 261,727 

In 1790 
Kentucky 73,677 2S0,96O 406,511 

Ohio (by estimation) 3,000 42,156 230,760 

From tables, founded on these data, and constructed 
on the principle of a regular geometrical ratio of in- 
crease, it appears that the population of Tennessee 
increased, from 1791 to 1800, at the rate of twelve and 
three-fourths per cent, and doubled in six years ; from 
1800 to ISIO, at the rate of nine and a half per cent, 
and doubled in eight years. Since that time, if the rate 
of increase has diminished regularly, it amounts to 
about six and three-tenths per cent, and will cause 
the population to double in little more than eleven 
years. 

From tables of a similar kind for Kentucky, it ap- 
pears that the population frtm 1790 to 1800 increased 
at the rate of about eleven and six -tenths per cent, and 
was doubled in less than seven years; from 1800 to 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 29 

1810, at the rate of six and three-tenths per cent, and 
tloubled itself in something more than eleven years. 
Since 1810 it probably increases at the rate of three and 
one-third per cent, and will require, for the period of 
doubling, about twenty-three years. 

In Ohio, ihe population was augmented at the rate of 
thirty and one-fourth per cent, and doubled in less than 
three years between 1790 and 1800 : from the latter 
period to 1810, it advanced at the rate of eighteen and 
a half per cent, and nearly doubled every four years. 
Since 1810, it probably increases at the rate of seven 
and eight-tenths percent, and will double itself in less 
than ten years. 

From these rates of increase, the population of the 
present year (1814) in round numbers must be nearly as 
follows : Kentucky 420 000, Tennessee 334.000, Ohio 
312,000. In 1820, it will probably approach to the 
following : Kentucky 453,000, Tennessee 481,000, 
Oliio 4':)2,000.* 

These statements exhibit the greater proportional 
advancement of population in Ohio, than either Ken- 

* As this prediction will certainly not be considered probable, 
it may be well to observe, that having ascertained from a com- 
parison of the population of 1790, 1800 and 1810, the rates of 
increase in each state, for two periods, the rates for the third are 
assumed as bearing the same proportion to the second, that 
the second did to the first. But it must be acknowledged, 
that before 1820, these ratios may vary so materially as to give 
very different results. The maximum of population in the dif- 
ferent states will indeed depend mainJy on their agricultural 
produce, and in this respect Kentucky will doubtless have the 
advantage of Tennessee, though not of Ohio, 
C3 



30 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

tucky or Tennessee ; and disclose to us the interesting 
fact, that at no very distant time, we shall outnumber 
either of our southern sisters. Deducting black popu» 
lation, we are, indeed, at this time, more numerous than 
Tennessee, and approach nearer to Kentucky than is 
generally supposed. 

An enquiry into the causes of increase in the future 
population of these states, is neither within the power 
of the author, nor the plan of this work ; but it may not 
be improper to devote a moment to the consideration of 
the leading causes that will secure a rapid augmenta- 
tion of population in Ohio. 

The cheapness of land and the high price of laber 
w ill continue to promote immigration to this state until 
the lands owned by the United States are principally 
sold and settled. The effect of these causes will then 
be lessened ; but the general fertility of our soil, the 
security of land titles, and the prohibition of slavery, as 
already enumerated, are inducements equally strong 
and durable. 

The extinction of the Indian title to the region wa- 
tered by the Sandusky and Maumee rivers, will have a 
very beneficial operation on the progress of our popu- 
lation. The uniform richness of soil in that tract ; the 
facility of removing to it over Lake Erie; its numerous 
creeks, bays and harbors on the north, and proximity to 
the future capital of the state on the south, must inevi- 
tably effect a rapid settlement. The formation of com- 
mercial and trading establishments on its northern 
border, and the construction of good roads, if not canals, 
between the navigable streams of the Lake and Ohio 
river, will also coulribute grGatly to a dense population 
in the interior. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. at 

Lastly, the erection of manufacturing establishments 
will co-operate in the future augmentation of our num- 
bers. To convert into manufacturers the hands enga- 
ged in clearing and improving a new country, would be 
a mistaken policy ; and if adopted, must soon correct 
itself. In the case in which a new country is contiguous 
to an older, of dense population, which can exchange 
manufactures for subsistence, it may even be advisable 
to defer manufacturing in the former to a late period. 
But where a new country must transport its surplus 
agricultural products to a great distance, and import 
the necessary manufactures from shops equally remote, 
it may be advisable to commence manufacturing much 
earlier. It must not, however, attempt to convert its 
farmers into tradesmen. They should be imported in- 
stead of their manufactures. The ranks of agriculture 
would then remain entire, the simple process of barter 
at home be substituted for expensive and hazardous 
commercial operations, and the immigrant manufactu- 
rers with their increase become an addition to the popu- 
lation. The situation of Ohio seems to recommend this 
policy, and it is already adopted. Manufactures have 
been commenced in various places, and are principally 
conducted by foreigners, or persons from the Atlantic 
states. 

It appears by the census of 1810, that the proportion 
of males to females in Ohio, is. 
Under 10 years of age, as 
Over 10 and under 16 

16 26 

26 45 

45 

The average of which is 



100 


to 94.7 


100 


93.1 


100 


99 


100 


80.3 


100 


61.2 


100 


86.7 



82 PICTURE OF CINCINNA.TI. 

The following; is a comparative view of tliis mean 
proportion with that of some other states : 
Ohio 100 males to 86.7 female* 



Kentucky 


100 


90.9 


Tennessee 


100 


93 


Rhode-Island 


100 


104.8 


Northern States 


100 


100.7 


Middle States 


100 


93 


Southern States 


100 


97 


Mexico,accordingtoHumboldt 100 


95 


France, by the same 


100 


103 



These numbers would seem to indicate, that in this 
state an extraordinary number of hands, in proportion 
to the whole population, are employed in masculine 
avocations, which may be the case in coiiiparison with 
some of tlie countries named, but not with ail. The 
black population of the Southern states, of Tennessee 
and Kentucky, which is chiefiy employed in apjricul- 
ture and the coarser mechanical occupations, is exclu- 
ded from these estimates. In Tennessee, at the last 
census, this pojuilation amounted to 15,832, bearing to 
the vv bite population the proportion of twenty-one and 
a quarter to one hundred, and makiut^ of the whole, 
about one-sixth. In Kentucky, the negroes amounted 
to 82,i74, bearing to the whites the proportion of 
twenty-five and one third to a liundred, and making of 
the wliole mass, nearly one-fifth. While in Ohio the 
black -s were only nineteen hundred, being to the whites 
as eighty- three to one thousand, and making of the 
whole population less than a hundred and twentieth. 

The proportion of inhabitants above forty-five years 
of age, to the total white population, was, by the last 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 33 

census, in Ohio, as nine to one hundred ; in Kentucky, 
as nine and five-tenths to one hundred ; in Tennessee, 
as eight and eight-tenths to one hundred ; in Connecti- 
cut, as sixteen and six-tenths to one hundred ; and in 
the United States, as twelve and four-tenths to one 
hundred. Had there been no migration to or from any 
section of the Union, these proportions would prove the 
Western States less fayorable to longevity than the 
others. As it is, no such conclusion is deduci'ole. The 
difference is produced by the continual emigration of 
young persons from the latter to the former, increasing 
the proportion of the aged in the east, and diminishing 
it in the west. Nothing, indeed, is more difficult, than 
to derive from such comparisons between an old state 
and a new one, any correct information on this point, as 
will be manifest from a reference to Connecticut and 
Ohio. Few persons above 60 ever emigrate to this 
country — let us suppose^ihen^ that none exceeding that 
age have arrived here, since the year 1800 ; in this case, 
it is evident that all who are now 74, or older, must 
have been 60, or upwards, in ISOO, when our population 
was but 425I56. At this time it is greater than that of 
Connecticut, but the number which have attained to 74( 
years is much less, for they have grown out of the 
42,156, while those of the same age in Connecticut are 
the residue of 251,000, the population of that state in 
1800. These numbers are Ut each other as sixteen and 
seven-tenths to one hundred, so that the amount of aged 
population in Ctmaecticut should be at present nearly 
six times greater tJ^an that of Ohio ; and if this be not 
the case, we are warranted in considering the former av^ 
not more propitious to old age than the latter. 



31 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Section hi. MMMI COUJVTRY. 

RIVERS. 

The south-west corner of the state of Ohio is watered, 
chiefly, by two rivers, called the Great and Little Mia- 
mies. Their general course is south-west. Their 
medium distance apart 20 miles. 

The Great Miami is about 130 yards wide for 40 
miles from its mouth; its head waters, between 40° and 
41- north latitude, interlock with the Massassinaway, 
a branch of the Wabash, the Auglaize and St. Mary, 
branches of theMaumee, and the Scioto. It has gene- 
rally a rapid current, but no considerable falls. It 
flows through a wide and fertile valley, which in spring 
and autumn is liable to partial inundation. Its princi- 
pal tributary streams on the west, are Loramie's creek, 
which joins it about 130 miles from its mouth 5 Still- 
water, which enters it about 50 miles below, and 
"Whitewater, which it receives within 7 miles of the 
Ohio. The first of these is navigable for batteaux 
nearly 30 miles, and in this respect is superior to the 
©thers. On the east side, Madriver only, is deserving 
of notice. This beautiful stream originates in a pond 
on the Indian boundary of 1793, and glides through a 
iract finely diversified with prairie and woodland. It 
is too shallow for navigation, but at all times furnishes 
water enough for the largest mills. Its mouth is nearly 
opposite that of Stillwater, and immediately above the 
town of Dayton. From this place, the Great Miami is 
navigable, in moderate freshets, for keel and fiat-bot- 
tomed boats 5 in high floods the same navigation may 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 35 

be had from Loramie's creek; but the frequent forma- 
tion of new bars, by the drifting of sand and gravel, 
renders the navigation, even near its mouth, difficult in 
low water. This river has a number of islands. The 
largest is two miles above the town of Hamilton. It 
was formed since the settlement of that place, by a por- 
tion of the river enlarging a mill-race which led into 
one of its branches, called Seven-mile. Near the vil- 
lage of Troy is a group of about twenty more, the prin- 
cipal of which is nearly three-quarters of a mile long. 
The valley of the river at this place, is a mile wide, 
and the banks are low and loose. The current among 
the islands is rapid, but the navigation is not entirely 
obstructed. 

The Little Miami originates south of the head of 
Madriver, and west of the sources of Paint-creek, a 
branch of the Scioto. On the eastern side, it receives the 
East-fork,Todd's-fork,and Cesar's and Massie's-creeks; 
on the western side, its principal branches are Turtle, 
Sugar and Beaver-creeks. Like the river just descri- 
bed, it meanders with a shifting channel through an 
extensive valley; many parts of which are annually 
overflown. For navigation it is of little consequence, 
bui for mills is preferable to the Great Miami. About 
100 miles from its mouth, in the county of Green, it has 
some remarkable falls, which amount perhaps to 200 
feet. The stream, at this distance, much reduced in 
width, enters a chasm in the silicious limestone rocks, 
which underlay that quarter ; in the course of a mile 
it is precipitated from several successive tables, when, 
being compressed to less tlian ten yards, it falls from a 
ledge of rocks, 6 or 8 feet, into a narrower fissure, of 



36 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

such great depth, that for several rods below there is 
no perceptible current. The sides of (his fissure, which 
rise by estimation 50 feet above the surface of the wa- 
ter, are irregular, but correspond in such a manner as 
to suggest that they were formerly in contact. From 
this point, the rapids continue more than a mile. The 
chasm, widening and deepening, gradually terminates 
in the broad valley through which the stream after- 
wards flows. These effects seem to have resulted from 
the action of the current below, and the expansion of 
freezing water in the fissures above, which, operating 
in conjunction, have covered the steep acclivities with 
enormous masses of rock, whose former situations are 
still visible. These fragments and the superincumbent 
cliiTs are decorated with four different evergreens — the 
Red Cedar, Canadian Yew, tjemlock and American 
Arbor Vitse, interspersed v^ith several other uncommon 
trees and shrubs, which give to the scenery an aspect 
equally beautiful and romantic. 

Mill-creek is the largest stream that enters the 
Ohio between the Miamies. Its valley is wide, fertile 
and more seldom overflown in the lower parts, than 
the vallies of the rivers just described. The mills on 
this stream are numerous, but the loose and unstable 
composition of its bed, renders the erection of perma- 
nent dams as difiicult and expensive, in proportion to 
its widtli, as on the Miamies. 

COUNTIES. 

It has been stated that a meridian line intersecting 
the mouth of the Great Miami, is the western boundary 
of Ohio. From this line to the meridian of the eastera 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. S7 

sources of the Little Miami, the distance is about 
fifty miles ; from the Ohio river to the heads of the 
Great Miami, it may be estimated at one hundred, 
making five thousand square miles, or 3,200,000 
acres, nearly an eighth part of the state. This tract 
formerly composed one county, named Hamilton ; out 
of which have since been formed the eleven following: — . 
Hamilton, Clermont, Warren, Butler, Preble, Montgo- 
mery, Green, Clinton, Champaign, Miami and Dark. 
A topographical description of these counties, not com- 
porting witil'the plan of this w ork, the following brief 
sketches are substituted. 

1. HAMILTON. 

This county constitutes the south-west corner of the 
Miami country. In the vicinity of the Ohio, Miamies 
and Mill-creek, it is hilly ; but the other portions are 
generally level. The soil of a considerable proportion 
is second rate; the four extensive vallies, however, 
which either bound or intersect it, possess great fertility. 
Permanent springs are not numerous, but well water is 
easily obtained. 

In addition to Cincinnati, the subject of the follow^ 
ing chapters, the county contains several villages, of 
which the principal a.re Columbia, JS^ewtown, Reading, 
Montgomery and Springfield. The first of these, in 
the years 1789 and '90, had the largest settlement in 
the Miami country, and was expected to flourish ; but 
the bayou which is formed across it from the Little 
Miami almost every year, and the occasional inunda- 
tion of nearly the whole site, ?.:ave destroyed that ex- 
pectation, and it is now inhabited chiefly by farmers, 
D 



3S PICTtJllE OF CINCINNATI. 

2. CLERMONT. 

This county lies east of the last ; it is large, and will 
probably be divided. Its southern parts aie hilly, the 
interior and northern flat ; the soil is generally se- 
cond rate, and the prevailing timber oak. 

WiLLiAMSBURGH, the scat of justice, was laid out by 
Wm. Lytle in 1795, but is not populous for its age. 
It is healthfully situated on the north bank of the East- 
fork of the Little Miami, 30 miles east-north-east of 
Cincinnati, on the principal and shortest road to Chil- 
licotliQ. It is well supplied w ith water rir mills and 
domestic use. The brick clay, limestone and timber 
are excellent. Its only public building of note is a 
stone courthouse. It has a post office; and two print- 
ing offices, which issue newspapers entitled the *' Poli- 
tical Censor," and " Western American." 

The county has a few other villages, of which Mil^ 
ford, on the east bank of the Little Miami, 10 miles 
from its mouth, is the largest. 

3. WARREN. 

This county is sufficiently level for every species of 
cultivation, withoutbeing, like a part of the last, so flat 
as to become marshy. Its southern half has thin soil, 
supporting oak timber mainly ; its northern, both in 
aspect and fertility, is eqtial to any land in the Miami 
country. Most of the streams which traverse it, have 
broad and productive vallies. 

Lebanon, the seat of justice, lies on one of the post 
roads from Cincinnati to Chiilicothe, between two 
branches of Turtle-creek, near their junction. It is 4 
miles west of the Little Miami, and so miles north- 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. sd 

north-east of Cincinnati. The site is not elegant, but 
is exempt fram ponds, marshes and other public sour- 
ces of disease. Excellent well water is obtained at the 
depth of 25 or 30 feet. Brick and potter's clay arc 
abundant. Limestone of a good quality, is found with- 
in two miles of the town. Timber for building is plen- 
tiful. The town was laid out in 1803, and incorpora- 
ted in 1810. Its improvement has been considerable. 
The houses are generally of brick and wood. Its pub- 
lic buildings are a court house, school house, Baptist 
and Methodist meeting houses, of brick, and a jail of 
stone. It has apostoflicej and a printing office wliich 
emits a weekly paper, called the " Western Star.*' 
There is an incorporated Library Company, which 
owns a small but valuable colleetion of books. An as- 
sociation entitled The Lebanon Miami Banking Com- 
paiujy with a cai)ital limited to S350,000 has lately 
commenced business. Mechanics of different kinds are 
numerous, and manufactories of cotton and some othqr 
articles are about to be established. 

^Yarren county contains three other villages worthy 
of notice; they are— . 

1. Franklin, This village is elegantly situated, 
on the east bank of the Great Miami, 10 miles from 
Lebanon and 31 from Cincinnati. It is a healthy spot, 
being without the stagnant waters which are too often 
found in the valley of the Miami. Beds of brick and 
potter's clay are common. Limestone is quarried in the 
bed of the river. Timber for building, of the best qua- 
lity, surroiinds the town ; and grist and saw mills, 
equal to any on tlie river, are numerous in its vicinity. 
It contains about 45 families, which aftord a Iar<ve 



40 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

number of mechaiiics. It has a post office, and is tlie 
point of junction of several pubiie roads. 

2, Waynesville. This village is built on the west 
bank of the Little Miami, 10 miles north-cast of Leba.- 
non. It is inhabited and surrounded chiefly by Friends 
or Quakers. It has a briek meeting house, SO by -10 
feet, at which one of the two quarterly meetings oi 
Friends in the western part of Ohio is held. It con- 
tains a post olSce, a brick school house, and has a num- 
ber cf good mechanics. Grist and saw mills are conve- 
nient. The situation is said to be healthy. 

3. Union or Shakertowii. This is situated on an 
elevated fertile ridge, four miles west of Lebanon. It 
is exclusively inhabited by a religious association, 
denominated Shakers. They occupy a number of 
large handsome wooden houses, and have several capa- 
cious shops, where trades and manufactures are prose- 
cuted. Their gardens and fields are extensive, neat, 
productive, and cultivated in common. The whole 
village is, indeed, held in joint tenancy, and the pro- 
ducts of its soil and shops are thrown into a common 
stock, in tiie wse and enjoyment of which all are said 
equally to participate. By these and corresponding 
moral and politieal regulations, they have been enabled, 
in a manner to insulate themselves, in the midst of tJiat 
society of which they were once members. This scchi- 
gion and monastic contempt of the prevalent social en- 
joyments, have brought upon them the obloquy of many. 
Without enquiring to what extent this is just, it may be 
briefly stated, that they are temperate, cleanly, frugal, 
peaceable, and honest in pecuniary dealings ; that their 
new motives produce more industry than the old, but 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 4i 

iliat their religious creed contains principles which 
mankind in general will not soon adopt, while their or- 
ganization of secHlar affairs, on a large scale, would be^ 
wholly impracticable. They are not likely, therefore, 
to become either very numerous or powerful. 

It Avas represented to the Legislature of 1810 — 11, 
that the tenets of this sect enjoin celibacy, in conse- 
quence of which several men had abandoned their fami- 
lies, and left them destitute of the means of support— 
whereupon, it was enacted that any family thus desert- 
ed, shall have decreed to them the whole, or such part 
of the real and personal property of the husband, as the 
court may consider necessary for their support ; and 
that the children shall be entirely absolved from the 
authority of the father, and remain under the exclusive 
direction of the mother, or of guardians appointed 
by the court. It was also enacted, that no gifts, grants 
or devises of money or property, made to such a sect, 
in violation of the marriage covenant, should be valid, 
and that whoever trespassed on the law, by advising 
or persuading another to join a sect of that kind, should 
incur a fine. 

4. BUTLER. 

This county lies west of the one last described, and 
to the north of Hamilton. Tlie Great Miami traverses 
it diagonally. The soil of the north-east and south- 
west quarters, is said to be generally poor 5 that of the 
south-east and north-west, fertile. 

Hamilton, the seat of justice, is situated 25 miles 
north-north-east of Cincinnati, on the east bank of i^vQ 
Miami. Its site is elevated, extensive and beautiful 5 
C2 



42 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

but near it, to the south, there is a pond, which has coH" 
tributed much to the injury of health. The materials 
for building^ are neither very plentiful nor excellent. 
Good timber cannot be had nearer than the neigh- 
boring hills ; the limestone in the bed of the river is 
indifferent, but some better quarries have been opened 
in the uplands ; the brick clay yet discovered is inferi- 
or, abaunding in fragments of limestone. The dwelling 
houses, about ^o in number, are chiefly of wood. Well 
water is obtained at the depth of 25 feet. 

This town was laid off about the year 1^94, and in- 
corporated in 1810. The donations for public use are, 
a square near the centre of the village for county pur- 
poses, and another for a church and cemetery. Its 
only public building is a stone jail. It has a post office, 
^u office for the collection of the taxes on non-resident's 
lands in the v» esteru districi of the state, and a printing^ 
Qffiee, which issues a newspaper entitled the " Miami 
Intelligencer." 

Eossuille, lying on the west side of the river, opposite 
to liamiltoH, is a small place. Mlddletown, on the road 
from Hamilton to Franklin, is situated east of the river. 
Like most of the villages in the Miami country, it has 
a post office. Oxford\ in the vvestern part of the coun- 
i?y, has less population and improvement, but more no- 
toriety, than either of these, from having been fixed on 
as the seat of an Universify. The land is held intrust, 
by the Legislature, which in 1810 enacted a law di- 
recting the lots to be disposed of on leases for 99 years, 
renewable forever, at the rate of G per cent, per annum 
on the purchase money, to be paid annually. Being on 
the frontier Qf the state, asid almost surrounded by fbrcst 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 9t3 

instead of cultivated country, it has received but little 
atteution. 

5. PREBLE. 

This county lies north of the last, and west of the 
Great Miami. It is generally rich, level, and covered 
"with trees, among which are, the ash, yellow poplar 
and black walnut, of prodigious size. Its streams are, 
the East-fork of Whitewater, Four-mile, Seven-mile 
and Twin creeks, which furnish several valuable mill- 
seats. 

Eaton, the county town, is built near the site of old 
Fort St. Clair, on a beautiful plain, inclined to the 
south. Seven-mile creek passes over it, and has a fall 
of 10 or ±2 feet, by estimation, in the distance of 4*00, 
This fall affords a valuable situation for mills, but in 
summer and autumn there is a deficiency of water. The 
bed of this creek contains fine quarries of silieious lime- 
stone. The dwelling houses, about 30 in number, are 
chiefly of wood. There are no public buildings, except 
a stone jail. Good well water is obtained by diggin* 
to a moderate depth. It has a post office, and is dis- 
tant from Cincinnati about 60 miles. 

6. MONTGOMERY. 

This county is nearly bisected by the Great Miami. 
On the eastern side of that river, the surface is uneven, 
except in the vicinity of Madriver, where there are wide 
and valuable prairies. On the western side, it is prin- 
cipally M'ood-land, and equal to any in the state. 

Dayton, the chief town, is laid off on a fine tract of 
bottom laud, iaimediately below the junction of Mad- 



44 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

river with the Miami. It was planned and surveyed 
under the direction of General Wilkinson, in 1796, 
whose title proved insufficient, and it flourished but 
little until 1803 ; when coming into the hands of Da- 
niel C. Cooper, the present proprietor, and being made 
the county seat, it began to prosper. The donations of 
ground are, two lots for county purposes j two to the 
Presbyterian church; two to other congregations ; and 
two for the benefit of schools. Its public buildings are, 
a court house, Methodist meeting house, and academy, 
of brick. The trustees of the academy, of the Presby- 
terian congregation, and of a library society owning 
about 250 volumes, are incorporated. A bank called 
the " Dayton Manufacturing Company y^- with a capital 
of SlOOjOOO has lately been chartered, and is now in 
operation. Permission has been granted by the Legis- 
lature for the erection of a toll-bridge over the mouth 
of Madriver, but the w ork is not yet begun. This town 
contains a post office, and a printing office, which is- 
sues a newspaper entitled the " Ohio Republican." 

Water for domestic use, is obtained by digging .30 or 
25 feet. Quarries of valuable limestone have been dis- 
covered about two miles from the town. Good brick 
clay is scarce, and hence the buildings are principally 
of wood. For mills the mouth of Madriver afl'ords a 
fine site, which is already well improved. In the vi- 
cinity of this town, otherwise so eligibly situated, there 
are several tracts of wet land, and a few ponds, which 
have rendered it somewhat unhealthy. They are said 
to have been of late, not so prejudicial as formerly ; but 
until cleared, drained and cultivated, they must lie re- 
garded as nuisaHces. Notwithstanding this, Dayton 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 45 

contains upwards of one hundred dwelling houses, more 
than any town of the Miami country, except Cinciunatij 
and has many encouraging; prospects. 

7. GREEN. 

This county, situated east of the one just described, 
is traversed from north-east to south-west by the Little 
Miami, and has in addition, three or four small mill- 
streams. In value, however, they yield to the falls of 
the Miami, at which there are two mills, and will 
doubtless be many others. In point of soil, the county 
is inferior to many in the Miami settlement. The vallies 
are wide and productive, but the uplands are generally 
second rate. The northern parts abound in tracts, 
nearly deprived of trees by annual burning for a long 
series of years, and which, in contradistinction to tho 
rich prairies, are called barrens. 

Xenia, the only town in the county, is the seat of 
justice. It has a handsome site, within two miles of 
the centre of the county, on the bank of a creek, called 
by tliQ inhabitants, Shawauoe. It is 3 miles east of th© 
Miami, and 55 north-norlh-east of Cincinnati. It was 
laid out by John Paul, in 1801?, and incorporated in 
the present year. Its houses are cliiefly of wood, al- 
though brick clay of a good quality is plentiful. Stone 
is quarried about two miles from town. There are 
adjoining to the town, several good springs, and well 
water is obtained at a moderate depth. The public 
buildings are, a brick court house, academy and church. 
It has a post office, and a press, from which is emitted 
a paper entitled the " Ohio Vehicle," The situation 
is healthy. 



46 PICTURE OF ClNCINNxiTI. 

8. CLINTON. 

This is a new county, lying east of the precedins^^ 
and of the Little Miami ; by the branches of which, 
however, it is watered. In most parts the surface is 
rich and level, in some it is marshy, ajid unfit for pre- 
sent cultivation. It has but little prairie, and not much 
cleared laud. 

AViLMiNGTON, the only village in the county, is the 
seat of justice. It was laid out, three or four years 
siuce, and contains but few good houses. It is distant 
from Cincinnati 54, and from Chiliicothe about 50 miles. 
Lying so nearly equidistant from these two towns, its 
relations in trade are divided betwee.n them. 

9. CHAMPAIGN. 

This comity, comprising the north-cast corner of the 
Miami country, is larger than any yet described, except 
Clermont. Its northern limit is the Indian boundary 
line of 1795. Madriver, and its numerous durable 
branches, irrigate nearly the whole, and furnish a nnm- 
ber of sites for water works. The name of this county 
is characteristic of its surface — no portion of the west- 
ern part of the state, having such extensive champaign 
tracts. These lie cliiefiy on the east side of Madriver, 
and may be divided into barrens and j^rairies. The 
former, as was just stated, are second rate wood lands 
thinnad by fire ; the latter are tracts of fiat alluvion, 
covered with luxuriant grass and herbage. Many are 
swampy, and require draining, before they can be cul- 
tivated. On the west side of Madriver, the soil, as- 
pects and timber are excellent. 

UiiBANN A, the county seat, is one of the youngest and 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 4T 

largest towns north of Cincinnati, from which it is dis- 
tant 94 miles. It lies two miles east of Mail river, on 
an extensive, elevated and fertile prairie. Fuel and 
timber, at no distant time, will be scarce in the vi- 
cinity of the town, but the forest of the opposite side of 
Madrivcr will long continue to supply the latter in 
abundance. Clay for bricks, of tolerable excellence, is 
convenient. Quarries of fragile, sandy limestone, have 
been discovered about five miles distant, whence the 
town is supplied. Two permanent brooks flow over 
the town plot, and well water is easily obtained. 

This place was laid out in 1S05, by William Ward, 
in conjunction \vith the county commissioners, who re- 
served a square in the centre. No public buildings 
have yet been erected. The number of dwelling houses 
is about one hundred. They are chiefly of wood. There 
is a printing office, which issues a paper named the 
*' Spirit of Liberty," — a post office — and a banking 
company, not yet chartered by the Legislature. 

The extraordinary progress of this town, in the inte- 
rior of a region which 15 years ago was without any in- 
habitants, has been in some measure owing to the mili- 
tary operations of 1812 — 13 ; bu»t independently of tem- 
porary aid?, and notwithstanding annual unhealthiness, 
its permanent advantages must in time give it great im- 
portance. 

Sprltigfield is a village situate 11 miles south of 
Urbanna, in the same county. It is the older of the 
two, tho much smaller. The situation is not elegant, 
but has several topographical advantages which Ur- 
banna does not possess. The East-fork of Ma(|river 
washes it on the north : on the south it has a copious 



4S PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

and durable brook, which near its junction with the 
stream just mentioned, falls over a ledge of rocks to the 
depth of about 30 feet. This ledge affords fine quar- 
ries of silicious limestone ; but the houses of the village 
are chiefly of wood. An extensive woolen manufactory 
has been erected at the falls of this creek, and the ma- 
nufacture of cloths will soon4}e commenced. 



10. MIAMI. 

This county has nearly the same northern and south- 
ern boundaries with Champaign, to which it lies conti- 
guous on the west. The Great Miami divides it from 
north to south. The surface is generally level, and 
the strata of soil and loam are deep; hence the rains 
can neither flow rapidly off, nor sink far into the earth, 
and their evaporation is retarded by a heavy and 
almost continuous forest. Tlie consequence is, that 
like Clermont and Clinton, this county in many 
rjarts requires to be well cleared and exposed to the 
sun for some time, before it will produce grain to ad- 
vantage. 

TiioY, on the west side of the Great Miami, 20 miles 
above Dayton, and 12 miles north of Cincinnati, is the 
seat of justice. It was laid out by the commissioners 
of the county in 1S08, and incorporated in 1814. It 
has a public library, and a post office. The houses are 
chiefly of wood. No permanent county buildings have 
yet been erected. The reserves and donations by the 
commissioners are, a square for the court house ; one 
lot for the jail ; another for a cemetery; and a square 
for an academy. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 49 

The site of this place is handsome, but a bayou is 
occasionally formed across it in high floods, and the 
plain declines into a swamp, at the distance of a mile 
from the river. This swamp lying to the south-west of 
the town, has rendered it unhealthy, but the expence of 
a drain that would convert it into dry and arable land 
is not estimated very high, As in other towns on the 
Miami, well water is easily obtained. Sandy limestone 
is quarried abaut 2 miles distant. Brick clay, of tole- 
rable excellence, has been discovered. Good tiuiber is 
plentiful. 

Washington is a village of this county. It lies 8 
miles above Troy, on the same side of the river, on the 
&ite of an old Indian settlement. The plain on which 
it stands, in less than a mile from the river, terminates 
in wet ground, similar to that in the rear of Troy. 
Timber for building is convenient, and the bed of the 
river, near the village, affords good limestone in abun- 
dance. The excellent millseats at this place are 
already improved to some extent. There is a post- 
office, which receives a weekly mail from Cincinnati. 
It was laid out by Messrs. Brandon and Manning in 
1809, and has been nearly ever since in competitioE 
with TroT for the county seat of justice. 



11. DARK. 

This is the north-west county of the Miami tract. It 
is traversed by Greenville creek, Stillwater, and a 
few smaller streams. The eastern parts, in soil and 
aspect, resemble the contiguous portions of Miami. In 
the western half, prairies and barrens are common. In 
B 



S& PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 

this county are the sites of three wooden forts, erected 
during the Indian war, which terminated in 1795. They 
are Jefferson, Greenville and Recovery. The last was 
built on the spot where general St. Clair fought the 
Indians in 1791. 

Greenville only, has been occupied as a military 
post since the commencement of the present war. This 
elegant and commanding spot has been fixed on as the 
county seat, and is surveyed, but no buildings (except 
a few cabins) have yet been erected. Altho in the wil- 
derness, it has acquired much notoriety from being 
the post at which the only treaties of peace with 
the Indians, concluded since the year 1790, have been 
held. After the termination of the present war, it will 
undoubtedly increase rapidly in population and im- 
provement. At tbis time, the number of inhabitants in 
the county is so small, that it remains attached to 
Miami. 

LAND TITLES. 

These are all derived from the government of the 
United States ; but in the manner of their transfer to 
the occupiers of the soil, there are some varieties which 
deserve notice. 

1. VIRGINIA MILITARY RESERVATION. 

It has been already stated, that in ceding to the Uni- 
ted States her portion of the Northwestern Territory, 
Virginia reserved the lands between the Little Miami 
and Scioto rivers, for the payment of her line of troops, 
serving on continental establishment in the revolution- 



PICTURE OF CINCINlSrATI, 01 

arj war. The following is the course pursued in loca- 
ting and patenting these lands : The Secretary at 
War, according to a law of Congress, made to the 
Executive of Virginia, a return of the names of such 
officers and soldiers, as were, by the laws of that state, 
entitled to these bounties, and the Governor issued 
warrants to the same. When these warrants are loca- 
ted, a return of the surveys is made to the Secretary 
of State of the United States, and the patents of the 
President obtained. When it is found that a survey 
includes land previously located, the holder of the war- 
rant is permitted to locate it elsewhere. Interfering 
claims, therefore, but seldom produce litigation. A 
large number of warrants, it is expected, remain to be 
located ; and it is equally uncertain when they will be 
completed, and whether the tract reserved by the state 
of Virginia will be of sufficient extent: should this not 
prove to be the case, the General Government will 
undoubtedly furnish other lands. 



2. SYMMES' PATENT. 

In the year 1787, John Cleves Symmes, of the state 
of New-Jersey, made a successful application to the 
General Government, for the purchase of a tract of land 
immediately north of the Ohio, between the Miami 
rivers. A bargain was made with the Commissioners 
of the Board of Treasury for a tract, which it was ex- 
pected would contain a million of acres, but which wag 
found to embrace less than 600,000. Of this, the pur- 
chaser made payment for no more than 34.8,582 acres. 
In i794tt he received the pateat of the President for 



52 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

311,683 acres, 63,100 acres being reserved in pursuance 
of sundry acts of Congress. These reservations were, 
15 acres around Fort Washington, in the town of Cin- 
cinnati, which were sold in 1808 — a complete township, 
to be located as near the centre of the tract as possible, 
for the benefit of an academy; wliich, however, was 
sold by the patentee, and replaced by the Government 
with a township west of the Great Miami — section 16, 
in each township, for the use of schools — section 29, for 
religious purposes — and sections 8, 11 and 26, for the 
future disposal of Congress 5 and which were, in 1808, 
by law directed to be sold. 

For the lands contained in this patent, the deeds of 
the patentee are indisputable ; but prior to the year 
1794, he sold several tracts lying north of his patent, 
tho within the limits of his original purchase. These 
sales the Government refused to sanction, but granted 
pre-emptions to the purchasers, and compelled them to 
make payment to the Receiver of public monies at Cin- 
cinnati, and take out patents in the usual way. 

3. UNITED states' LANDS. 

The other lands of the Miami country, south of the 
Indian boundary, have, by the Surveyor General, act- 
ing under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, 
been divided into townships, sections and quarter sec- 
tions, by lines according with the cardinal points. 
These have been executed with great accuracy, and 
constitute, with the other surveys of the Government, a 
more regular and beautiful system than any other coun- 
try perhaps can boast. For the sale of Miami lands, 
excepting the 16th section in each township, reserved 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 38 

for the support of seliools, a law was passed in 1800, 
creating the Cincinnati District, and establishing the 
offices of Register and Receiver. Payment for a tract 
being completed in the latter office, a final certificate is 
forwarded from the former to the Commissioner of th© 
General Land-office, who returns the President's ■■ 
patent.* 

PRICES OF LAND. 

These have been constantly, tho not regularly, in- 
creasifig, ever since the first settlement here. In 1787, 
John C. Symmes paid to the United States two-thirds 
of a dollar per acre. Their uniform price, since that 
time, has been two dollars, except at public auctions, 
when from competition, the prices are frequently raised 
much higher; and except reserved sections, which were 
at one time fixed at eight, but afterwards reduced to 
four dollars. 

WithiH 3 miles of Cincinnati, at this time, the prices 
of good unimproved land, are between fifty and one 
hundred and fifty dollars per acre, varying according 
to the distance. From this limit to the extent of 1% 
miles, they decrease from thirty to ten. Near the prin- 
cipal villages of the Miami country, it commands from 
twenty to forty dollars ; in remoter situations, it is from 
four to eight dollars — improvements in all cases advan- 
cing the price from 25 to 100 per cent. An average for 
the settled portions of the Miami country, still suppo- 
sing the land fertile and uncultivated, may be stated at 
eight dollars ; if cultivated, at twelve. 

• See Land Uws of the United States. 



04 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Of tracts that have the same local advantages, those 
alluvial or bottom lands, which have been recently form- 
ed, command the best price. The dry and fertile prai- 
ries are esteemed of equal value. Next to these, are 
the uplands, supporting hackberry, papaw^ honeylocustj 
sugartree and the different species of hickory, waU 
nut, ash, buckeye and elm. Immediately below these, 
in the scale of value, is the land clothed in beech tim- 
ber; while that producing white and black oak chiefly, 
commands the lowest price of all. 

These were not the prices in 1812; the war, by pro- 
moting immigration, having advanced the nominal va- 
lue of land from 35 to 50 per cent. 

ACniCULTURAL PRODUCE. 

GRAIN. 

The principal kinds are Indian corn, wheat, rye, 
oats and barley. The first is found on every plantation, 
but flourishes best in a fertile, calcareous soil ; where, 
with good culture, it will yield from 60 to 100 bushels 
per acre ; but an average crop, for the whole region, 
cannot be higher than 45. Wheat is raised almost as 
generally as Indian corn, and is perhaps better adapted 
tothesoilof most parts of the Miami country. Twenty- 
two bushels may be stated as the average produce per 
acre,tho it sometimes amounts to 40. Its medium weight 
i? 60 lbs. the bushel. The bearded wheat, with reddish 
chaff, seems latterly to be preferred, as least liable 
to injury from the hessian fly and weavel. The cul- 
tivation of rye is much more limited, as it is only 
employed in the distillation of whiskey, and as pro- 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. S5 

vender for horses. For the former purpose, it is mixed 
with Indian corn. Its average crop may be estimated 
at 25 bushels per acre. The common crop of oats is 
about 35 bushels, and that of barley 30. The latter 
was not extensively cultivated till since the ereetioa 
of two large breweries in Cincinnati. 

FRUITS. 

An extensive variety of excellent apples have been 
introduced, and succeed well, in the Miami country. 
As in other parts of the United States, they are occa- 
sionally injured by vernal frosts. In the valley of the 
Ohio this is less frequently the case,than on the uplands. 
Cider, of a good quality, is annually made in large 
quantities. Peaches attain to great perfection, and are 
found on every farm. Pears, cherries and plumbs, of 
different kinds, are common : some finer varieties of the 
two latter,however, as well as the apricot and nectarine, 
have not yet been successfully cultivated. The vine 
has not been planted, for the purpose of making wine ; 
nor has its cultivation in gardens been continued long 
enough to ascertain whether the soil and climate of 
this quarter be adapted to its growth. 

FLAX AND HEMP. 

The first is raised on every farm. It is said not to 
be so good as that of the Atlantic states. The seed, 
especially, is inferior, yielding much less oil than the 
flaxseed of those states. Hemp, a few years since, was 
cultivated to some extent, and found to succeed well in 
bottom lands, but from a depression in the price, it is 
now neglected. 



96 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

MEADOWS. 

These are generally luxuriant. Timothy, red and 
white clover, and spear-grass, are principally cultiva- 
ted, and yield a good crop. Two tons per acre, are 
considered the medium produce of the two first. They 
are not found, except when sown ; but the latter spiing 
up spontaneously on every farm, after the cultivation 
of a few years, and afford excellent pasture. 

Before the settlement of this country, the woods 
abounded in grass and herbage proper for the subsistence 
of cattle, but these have long since disappeared, except 
in remote situations. In the prairies^ however, where 
the whole energy of the soil is employed in producing 
grasses and herbaceous plants, instead of trees, the 
pasture is still luxuriant, and the business of grazing 
extremely profitable. It is chiefly of Champaign and 
Green counties, that this remark is true. In the former, 
one hundred thousand dollars, it is estimated, are annu- 
ally received for fat cattle. The prairies are likewise 
found to support hogs / which grow and fatten on the 
numerous fleshy roots, with which those tracts abound. 
Sheep, both domestic and foreign, are already diftused 
extensively through the Miami country. They are in 
general healthy, and rather prone to excessive fatness. 
Their flesh is said to be superior in flavor to that of the 
sheep of the Atlantic states. 

The agriculture of this, as of other new countries, is 
not of the best kind- Too much reliance is plaeed on 
the extent and fertility of their fields, by the farmers, 
who in general consider these, a substitute for good 
tillage. They frequently plant double the quantity 
they can properly cultivate, and thus imp<^verish their 



PICTURE OP CINCINNATI. 57 

lands, and suffer them to become infested with briars 
and noxious weeds. The preservation of the forests of 
a country should be an object of attention, in every stag© 
of its settlement; and it would be ^ood policy, to clear 
and plant no more land in a new country, than can be 
well cultivated. 



INDIANA TERRITORY. 

A part of the region watered by the tributary streams 
of the Great Miami, is in this Territory. The portion 
thus situated, is bounded on the east, by the western 
boundary of the state of Ohio ; and is separated from 
the interior settlements of the Territory, by a tract not 
yet purchased of the Indians. It is divided into three 
counties, Dearborn, Franklin and Wayne, which ex- 
tend northwardly from the Ohio river, in the order of 
this enumeration. The two latter are irrigated by a 
beautiful stream, called Whitewater. In soil and as- 
pect, they may be compared with Preble county, here- 
tofore described. The soil of Dearborn is not so good, 
except in the vicinity of the Ohio, where, however, it is 
hilly. 

Lawrenceburg is the seat of justice of this county. 
It is situated 23 miles from Cincinnati, in the valley of 
the Ohio, 2 miles below the mouth of the Great Miami. 
Having occasionally suffered inundation, it has grown 
but little; and a new village, called Edinburgh, has 
been lately laid out on higher ground, about half a mile 
from the river; but this is not a place of much promise. 

BRooKvu.i:.Bi, the county seat of Franklin, is situated 



99 PICTUKE OP CINCINNATI. 

40 miles from Cincinnati, near the junction of the two 
principal branches of Whitewater. It is a young, bat 
thriving village. 

Salisbury has as yet been the seat of justice in the 
new county of Wayne 5 but a village named Centrevilley 
lately laid out, is at present a competitor for that dis- 
tinction. Each of these county seats has a post-office. 

The inhabitants of these counties receive their sup- 
plies of foreign goods almost exclusively from Cincin- 
nati ; but liitle mercantile capital being employed at 
Lawrenceburg, and there being on the Great Miami no 
dejjot of merchandize for that region. 



KENTUCKY. 

The long introduction to the Picture of Cincinnati, 
shall be elosed with a notice of the adjoining parts of 
Kentucky. 

Licking river originates in the mountains of the 
south-eastern part of this state, near the source of the 
Cumberland and Kentucky rivers 5 and after meandering 
about 200 miles, enters the Ohio opposite Cincinnati, 
where it is 80 yards wide. In spring floods, boats laden 
with 200 barrels of flour, can descend from points, that 
are more than an hundred miles distant from its junc- 
tion with the Ohio; but for ten months out of twelve, 
its navigation is of little value ; and in summer and 
autumn, it is a moderate mill-stream. 

That part of Kentucky which lies opposite the Miami 
country, is hilly; the soil is various, but generally se- 
cond rate ; and the population scattered. There are n& 



PICTURE OP CINCINNATI. 59 

prairies or bottom lands 5 mill-streams are neither na- 
merous or durable; and wells cannot be dug, on account 
of the limestone rocks, which, except in the valley ef 
the Ohio, are every where found at the depth of a few 
feet. This tract composes two counties, Boone and 
Campbell, The seat of justice of the former, is 15 miles 
south-west of Cincinnati, and 7 miles from the Ohio. 
It is not likely to be a place of any consequence, as in 
summer and autumn, water, even for domestic use, can 
not be had under the distance of two miles. 

Newport, the seat of justice for Campbell county, 
is situated immediately above the mouth of Licking, 
Its site is extensive, elevated and beautiful, com- 
manding a fine view, both up and down the Ohio river. 
It is healthy, and affords good well water at the depth 
of 40 feet. The proprietor of this town is James Tay- 
lor, who laid out a few lots in 1791. In 1793, the plan 
was extended ; in 1795, it became the seat of justice, 
and in 1803 the General Government fixed on it as the 
site of an arsenal. But notwithstanding its political 
advantages — proximity to the Ohio and Licking rivers 
— early settlement and beautiful prospects — this place 
has advanced tardily, and is an inconsiderable village. 
The houses, chiefly of wood, are, with the exception of 
a few, rather indifferent ; but a spirit for better improve- 
ment seems to be recently manifested. Two acres were, 
by the proprietor, conveyed to the county, for public 
buildings, ©f which only a jail has yet been erected. 
The building of a handsome brick court house has, 
however, been ordered. A market-house has recently 
been put up on the river bank, but has not yet attracted 
the attention of the surrounding country. Two acre* 



6t) PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

cf elevated ground were designated by the proprietor^ 
for a common, but upon a petition of the inhabitants, 
the Legislature of the state have lately made it the site 
of an academy, which at the same time they endowed 
with 6000 acres of land. This land is not productive 
at present, and the academy is not in operation ; but 
arrangements are made for the erection of a brick school- 
house, and the organization of a school on the plan of 
Joseph Lancaster. In this village there is a Baptist 
and a Methodist congregation, but no permanent meet- 
ing-houses. It has had a post-office for several years. 
The United States' arsenal is erected immediately above 
the confluence of Licking with the Ohio It consists of 
a capacious, oblong, two story armory of brick ; a fire- 
proof, conical magazine, for gunpowder ; a stone house 
for the keeper, and wooden barracks sufficient for the 
reception of two or three regiments of men, the whole 
inclosed with a stockade. 

Covington is a new town, beautifully situated imme- 
diately below Licking river, on the bank of the Ohio. 
It has just been laid out, by J. S. Gano, R. M. Gano 
and T. D. Carneal. It is so planned and surveyed, 
as to make the streets appear to be a continuation of 
those of Cincinnati. Each block of lots has the advan- 
tage of two 16 feet alleys .Liberal donations for public 
buildings have been made. The great road to the Mia- 
mi country, from the interior of Kentucky, from Ten- 
nessee, Georgia and the Carolinas, passes thro this 
place, and will be a permanent advantage. It is in 
contemplation to connect this place and Newport, by a 
bridge across the mouth of Licking, a work that de* 
serves an early execution. 



HCTURE OF CINCINNATI. ei 



CHAPTER IL 

PHYSICAL TOPOGRAPHY. 
Seci>. /. POSITIOJ>^, ASPECT S^ELEVATIOM 

Cincinnati, the metropolis of the Miami country, is 
situated in a gradual bend of the Ohio river, on its 
northern bank. Its longitude has been determined by 
lieut. col. Mansfield and M. de Ferrer, who differ only 
one minute and a half. The average of their results 
is 7° 24f 45'' west from M^ashington City. Its latitude, 
taking the mean betwixt the observations of the same 
astronomers, is 39® 6' 3o" worth. It lies, therefore, al- 
most under the meridians of Lexington and Detroit, 
and nearly in the same parallel with St. Louis, Viii- 
eennes and Baltimore. By esiitnation, it is distant, 
over land, from Pittsburgh, 300 miles — Chillicothe 94— 
Detroit 275— Louisville 100 — and Lexington 83. 

Its site is the eastern part of a tract of alluvial or 
bottom land, bounded on the north by a chain of ridges, 
on the west by Mill-creek, on the south by the river, 
and on the east by Deer-creek, a brook which originates 
in the neighboring uplands. The area of this plain is 
about four square miles. It is unequally elevated, and 
the upper and lower tables have received from the in- 
habitants the names of //i^i and Bottom, The latter 
F 



63 :?1CTURE OF CINCINNATL 

(gradually wiileniTjg) stretches westwarclly, from tlie 
muiilli of Deer-creek, where it is but 200 feet broad, to 
the interval lands of Mill-creek. Its medium breadth 
is about 800 feet. The north-west portions of this slip 
are the lowest. They have been overflown a few times 
since the settlement of the town, and in March 1793, 
the whole of this plain was inundated. The Hill rises 
about 50 feet above the Bottom. The ascent, which is 
at first steep, soon becomes gradual, and continues for 
the distance of nearly 1000 feet, when the surface de- 
clines gently to the base of the adjoining high lands. 
The medium breadth of this table is about one mile. 
Its western portions are uneven, and towards Mill-creek 
descend to the level of the Bottom, On the opposite 
side of the river, the valley has nearly the same expan- 
sion. The ranges of hills bordering these extensive 
plains, intersect each other in such directions as to com- 
pose an imperfect square, through the north-east and 
southwest angles of which the Ohio enters and passes 
out. Being variously divided by streams and rivulets, 
lying at different distances from the town, and having 
a dense covering of tall trees, these ridges afford a 
pleasant termination to the view ; but the prospect 
along t|ie river is limited and uninteresting. From 
Newport, or Covington, the appearance of the town is 
beautiful ; and at a future period, when the streets 
shall be graduated from the Hill to the river shore, 
promises to become magnificent. 

For estimating the elevation of Cincinnati and its 
vicinity above the tide water of the Atlantic states, w© 
Lave no better data than the following : In the report 
of the Secretary of the Treasury, on the subject of roads 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. Gif 

and canals, it is stated that Brownsville, on the Monon- 
gahela, is 850 feet above the Atlantic ocean. If wft 
allow in the bed of the river from that town to Cincin- 
nati, a fall of nine inches per mile, we have in round 
Tiiinibers, 500 feet for the elevation of this place. The 
snrroundins; hills rise abont 320 feet higher, and have 
therefore the altitude of 820 feet. In the report of the 
Commissioners of the state of New-York, the surface of 
lake Erie is stated at 525 feet above the tide water of 
the Hudson. The central tract, between the Ohio and 
Erie, is table land, and gives origin to several rivers, 
which flow in vallies that become constantly deeper as 
yon advance towards their mouths. This will account 
for their rapidity of current, and cannot be considered 
an evidence of any extraordinary elevation in that tract. 
There is reason, however, to believe, that it is more 
elevated than the hills around Cincinnati, and conse- 
quently, that the interior of this state is between 900 
and tOOO feet high. 

The interior of Kentucky is probably not so elevated| 
as the back water of the Ohio, in great floods, ascends 
the rivers of that state more than 40 miles, while it 
does not reach farther up the rivers of tliis state thaii 
10 or 15 miles. Upon the whole, the medium elevation 
©f the country, on both sides of the Ohio, from Brie to 
the Cumberland mountains, in the meridian of Cinein- 
Bati, may be estimated at 850 feet above the ocean. 



^ PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Ssci'joN lu GEOLOGY, 

The face of the country around Cineinaati having 
teen depicted in the introduetorj chapter, the reader is 
prepared to engage in the examination of its internal 
structure. If a geologist, at this place, ascend from 
the surface of the Ohio, when low, to the top of an ad- 
joining hill, he observes, first, a region of tabular lime- 
stone and argillaceous slate ; then a tract of alluvion, 
or bottom, composed chiefly of loam and clay ; suc- 
ceeded by a tract of the same kind, but more elevated, 
apparently more ancient, and consisting principally of 
gravel and sand ; he thea arrives at the same kiad of 
calcareous strata exhibited by the bed of the river; 
which he sees surmounted by a stratum of loam, covered 
with soil, and supporting occasional masses of granite 
and other primitive rocks. In attempting to give some 
account of these strata, the following order will be 
pursued : I. of the limestone formation — II. of 

THE ALLUVIAL FORMATION — III. OF THE ARGILLA- 
CEOUS FORMATION, OR THS STRATUM OF LOAM AND 
SOIL IV. OF THC PRIMITIVE MASSES. 

I. The calcareous or limestone region under exami- 
nation, is the largest perhaps in the known world. 
Parallel to the meridian, it extends, with few interrup- 
tions, but with considerable variations of character, 
from the sliores of lake Erie to the southern part of the 
state of Tenuassee, and probably to the cape of East 
Florida ; as. Mr. Ellieot informs us that the rocks of 
the celebrated reef, bordering that promontory, are 
isaleareous. From ihe Muskingum and Great Saiidy 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. esf 

on tlie east, this formation extends westvvardly beyond 
the state of Ohio ; but to what distance, has not been 
ascertained. After passing the Great Miami, in this 
direction, the strata become disjointed, and lose their 
continuity, but show themselves, occasionally, even 
beyond the Mississippi. The lead mines, in the rear of 
St. Genevieve, abound in crystallized carbonate of lime; 
and the strata of the bed of the river, near that town, 
are said to resemble those of Cincinnati, except that 
they contain a notable proportion of chert or petrosilex. 

The strata throughout this extensive region, agree in 
having a horizontal position, and in containing marine 
remains : it is therefore a floetz, or secondary formation 
— a vast precipitate from a lake or sea of salt water. 
To what depth it extends beneath the bed of the Ohio, 
has not been ascertained. In some parts of Kentucky, 
perforations in search of salt have been made more than 
300 feet deep, without passing through it. 

In the qualities and characters of this limestone, there 
is much diversity. At Cincinnati, it is of a blue or 
greyish blue color; has a coarse grain ; receives but an, 
indifferent polish ; is of various densities, with tho 
medium specific gravity of 2.65 ; affords lime of a dark 
color, but of sufficient strength ; and is in strata from 
one to eighteen inches thick, which alternate with lay- 
ers of clay-slate, the argilla fissilis of Turton. This 
substance, which is in larger quantities than the rocks 
it separates, has a dull blue color ; breaks into thick 
irregular fragments; softens and is diffusible in water; 
effervesces with acids ; contains neither sulphur nor 
bitumen; and has the specific gravity of 2 55, To the 
south it nearly disappears, and the calcareous strata 
'F 2 



66 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

change their character, passing into the state of mar- 
ble ; large quantities of which are quarried along the 
Kentucky river. To the east, where the argillaceous 
strata disappear, the limestone becomes charged with 
silicious earth, the species of slate called shivers is 
discovered, and in advancing a little farther, the transi- 
tion to sandstone is found to be complete. This takes 
place before reacliing Chillieothe, on the Scioto river. 
Limestone, however, again shows itself in spots, but 
w ith few of the characters it exhibits at Cincinnati. To 
the north of this town, the argillaceous slate has a 
great preponderance over the limestone strata ; which 
have in that direction less solidity, and are more abun- 
dant in marine remains. This is the case for about 50 
miles, when the region of silicious limestone suddenly 
commences. It appears at first in large quantities, but 
on approaching the sources of the Great Miami, it is 
seldom visible. The prevailing color of this stone is 
an ash grey ; the proportion of sand or silicious earth 
is variable; it is frequently soft and crumbling when 
taken from the quarry, and hardens on exposure to the 
air; in some places, as at Dayton, it assumes the tex- 
ture of an indiiferent marble ; it effervesces with acids 
but feebly ; abounds in nodules of flint ; affords white 
lime by burning; the lamina are generally thicker tha» 
those of the Ohio, and are frequently found consolida- 
led into huge masses, which have small irregular cavi- 
ties and perpendicular or oblique fissures. An addi- 
tional distinguishing characteristic, is the existence of 
rapids or cascades, in all the streams which flow over it. 
No vestiges of sea animals are to be found in these 
ancient strataj except a lar?;e bivalve shell, the name of 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 6^ 

which I am unable to assign. But the more recent tract 
of greyish blue limestone around Cincinnati, contains 
numerous marine exuviae, of which the following are 
the most common. 

1. The anomia terebratula and placenta — both com- 
posed of carbonate of lime. They are found in abun- 
dance, sometimes detached and between the strata ; at 
other times inibeded or consolidated; never compressed, 
and occasionally studded inside with six sided pyra- 
mids of transparent crystallized limestone. 

2. The habitations of several species of nautilus^ usu- 
ally denominated heleninita, corniia ammonia, thunder' 
stones, &c. found both detached and imbeded, consistiDg 
generally of carbonate of lime. 

3. Entrochi or pidlies, formerly supposed to exitt 
only in the fossil state; now said to be the remains of 
a species of isis or coral, named the isis entrocha. 
These are all silicious, and are commonly found de- 
tached. 

4. Different species of coraUina or coralline, found 
imbeded and detached, in large quantities — generally 
calcareous, now and then silicious. 

5. Several species of madrepora a.nA tubipora, found 
detached, and supposed by the people to be petrified 
wasp's nests — always silicious. 

Many other species, and perhaps genera, of these 
curious remains, could undoubtedly be designated by a 
skilful naturalist. 

I have never observed the bones of any land animals 
between, or imbeded in the strata of this formation. 
The liead of the sus tajassu, or hog of Mexico, disco- 
vered by Dr. Brown in one of the nitrous caves of Ken- 



ea PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

tiicky,had in all probability been brought and deposited 
there by the former inhabitants of this country. 

The metals hitherto fount! in this formation, are not 
nHmerous. Where it borders on the sandstone region, 
as towards the Scioto and in Kentucky, iron ore of an 
excellent quality has been discorered. Near to the 
Yellow Spring, in Green county, described in the last 
chapter, specimens of silver ore, of blend and pyrites 
have been dug up, but not in sufficient quantities to be 
worked. In the Indiana Territory, where the same 
formation exists, combined and intermixed with much 
feilicious matter, blend and galena have been found. 

Of saline matters, the most valuable w hich it affords 
are common salt, glaubers' salt, epsom salt, saltpetre 
and calcareous nitre. The three first have only been 
found in solution. The latter exist abundantly in some 
of the sandstone strata and limestone caverns of Ken- 
tucky ; and in some parts of this state. 

II. The alluvial lands on the south side of the Ohio 
are narrow ; but to the north of that river, where a 
looser stratification has permitted the streams to under- 
mine their banks, the vallies are in general from one 
quarter, to a mile in breadth, and the depositions of 
alluvion very great. This is especially true of the Ohio, 
the Miamies, and their tributary and intermediate 
streams. The lands of this formation, generally rise in 
two or three successive tables from the stream to the 
hill, and are evidently of different ages. Most of them 
are lower near the hill, than at the side adjoining 
to the river. This is perhaps owing to the descent, in 
former times, of water from the uplands, which upon 
reaching the plain, instead of traversing it, would flow 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 69 

along the base of the hill ; the surface in that direction 
having the same fall with the stream. Thus, in the 
rear of most bottom lands, there are brooks or rivulets. 
The older alluvions are composed chiefly of sand, gra- 
vel and water worn pebbles, covered from two to six 
feet deep with a bed of yellowish loam, that supports 
but a thin layer of soil. They are not without clay, 
iron, and vegetable remains ; tho' in general these are 
less abundant than in the newer alluvions. The upper 
table in the town of Cincinnati, is of this kind. The 
gravel and pebbles are chiefly calcareous, tho' water 
worn fragments of chert, flint, quartz and granite are 
not uncommon. A large proportion of the calcareous 
pebbles are fragments of the variety of limestone 
last described. Horizontal veins of blue clay now 
and then present themselves near the southern edge of 
this plain. Veins of ferruginous pudding-stone (gravel 
cemented by iron) exist in a few places, and injure the 
well water. Vegetable substances, chiefly the decaying 
remnants of trees, have been found in different parts, at 
various depths, from 20 to 100 feet. The larger peb- 
bles of this tract are generally nearest the surface, and 
on the side next the river. The beds of sand lie, in 
most parts, at considerable depths, and have an oblique 
or wave-like stratification, while that of the superin- 
cumbent pebbles is chiefly horizontal. The Bottom, or 
lower table is composed of loam and clay to the depth 
of 20 feet or more, when gravel and sand, entirely si- 
licious, and ualike those of the Hill, present themselves 
and continue down to the limestone rocks. The soil of 
this tract, as of ail the recently formed bottoms, is 
deep and fertile. 



70 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

The prairies of the northern part of the Miami coun- 
try all belong to the alluvial formation. Many of them 
are low, wet, levelj rich, and in the situation of new 
alluvions. Others appear to be very ancient, are ele- 
vated nearly to the highest point of the surrounding 
country, and would not be supposed alluvial, before a 
geological examination, oi* an inspection of the border- 
ing wood lands. They are composed of water worn 
pebbles, gravel and sand, and are terminated by banks 
from 10 to 20 feet in height. Most of them have out- 
lets, through which are discharged small streams of 
pure water. 

It is somewhat singular that the alluvial lands con- 
tain so few remains of river animals, as have hitherto 
been found. In Cincinnati, the only vestiges of this 
kind, are some shells of the genus mya, which inhabits 
the Ohio. A number of these were found at the depth 
of 40 feet, in digging for water, near the back part of 
the Hill ; and afterwards in the Bottom, p*t about ih'Q 
same depth, and at the distance of 200 feet from the 
river bank. In the former ease, they were lying in 
connexion with grape vines, and other vegetable matter. 
In the latter there was found with the shells (as is as- 
serted by creditable workmen employed in sinking the 
well) an arrow-head of flint, such as the Indians of this 
country formerly used. 

The alluvial formation, it would seem, is the 
usual, if not the exclusive hed or depository of the huge 
quadruped remains, which have been dencminated 
'iiiaimnoth hones. There is reason to believe, that among 
these, there are several species, if not genera, none of 
which eiist at the present time. But two kinds have> 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, ?l 

however, be^n unequivocally made out. One of these 
was certainly a species of elephant, common to Asia and 
North America. From naturalists it has received the 
name of Elephas Primigenius, or Mammonteus. The 
other, whose elephantine characters are doubtfal, has 
been named by our distinguished countryman, Professor 
Barton, Elephas Mastodontus. M. Cuvier considers it 
as constituting a new genus, which he has called Mas,* 
todonton. The teeth with fiat surfaces, belong to the 
former; those with conical and wedge shaped projec- 
tions, to the latter animal. Great quanlities of the 
bones of both, and perhaps of other nondescripts, have 
been found, mixed with those of the sr.iailer existing 
quadrupeds of this country, in the va^ey of '' Big- 
bone," a stream of Kentucky, about 40 miles by water 
below Cincinnati. They were deposited about 4- miles 
from the river, in a bed of tough blue clay, through 
which arise several springs of salt water.* On Lick- 



* In the 5'ear3 1802 and 3, Dr. William Goforth, with an ardor 
of curiosity that deserved a better reward than awaited his ex- 
ertions, dug up at this place, and transported to Cincinnati, se- 
veral waggon loads of these bones. They were, by the Doctor 
and George Turner, one ot the members of the American Phi- 
losophical Society, examined attentively, and supposed to be the 
, remains of no less than six nondescript qaadrupeds, most of 
them gigantic ! Among the rest, some of the bones of the rhi- 
noceros were thought to be ascertained. Judge Turner made 

■l accurate drawings of the most curious of these fossils, but has 
1' ■ 

been so unfortunate as to lose them. 

In the spring of the year 1803, the Doctor fotrmed the design 

of transporting these bones to the Atlantic states. They reached 

Pittsburgh, an<J were there stored. Early in 1806^ Professor 



y^ PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

ingriver, at the Blue Licks, bones of the same kindhave 
been found, under similar circumstances. In the allu- 
vial lands of the western parts of Ohio, but few have 
yet been discovered. Near the river St. Mary, one of 
the branches of the Maumee, a grinder of the first spe- 
cies was dug up.* Near Dayton, contiguous to the 
Great Miami, a tooth of the second species has been 
discovered. In the upper table on which Cincinnati is 
built, a joint of the back-bone of one of these species 
was found at the depth of 13 feet from the surface. 

The only metal yet discovered, and the only oneper* 
haps existing, in the alluvial region of this quarter, is 
iron t In the bottoms of Paint-creek, a branch of the 
Scioto, large quantities of bog ore can be obtained— 
coperas, alum and ochre abound in the same places. 
Near to the village of Springfield, Champaign county, 
ore of the same kind has been discovered in a low prairie. 
It is not improbable that those singular tracts will be 
found rich in this metal, and also in peat, both of which 
are desirable to a country so distant from navigable 
waters, and so partially covered with trees. 

Barton made an application to purchase them ; but at that time 
tbey had attraciexl the attention of a foreign swindler, named 
Thomas Arville, alias Ashe, who obtained permission of the owner 
to ship them to Europe for exhibition; since which they have 
not been heard of. To this personal injury of a worthy indivi- 
dual, the miscreant has since added a iibel on the American 
people, and a gross insult to the British nation, by the publica- 
tion of a book cf travels, redundant in the most puerile and 
mulicidus falsehoods. 
» This was transmitted to me by Doctor William Turner. 

I Since writing the aborej I have seen som« experiroOTts per- 



riCTURE OF CINCINNATI. 73 

III tills formation, the gravel and pebbles arc fre- 
quently cemented into large masses, denominated brec= 
cia or pudding-stone. About 20 miles above this town, 
ill the valley of the Ohio, arc several of these alhivial 
rocks, of great size, and vtithout any regular form. 
Tlierc are indeed a number of small hills at tlsat place, 
each of which has a nucleus of this kind, and reposes 
on the limestone strata, al6ng with the otlier alluvion 
of the valley. In theinterior of the Miami country, 
masses of consolidated silicious gravel are not uncom- 
mon ; and have been fiequently employed by the inha- 
bitants of that quarter for millstones, which, purpose 
they are found to answer very well. 

ill. The stratum of loam, which is spread over the 
V. hole of this country, from three to twelve feet thicky 
is -^Gnerally of a redi-^li yellow color. It is not lamina- 
ted, nor does it csntain tlie vestiges of land, river or 
?ca animals. It is equally destitute of ores, and has 
few stony combinations, except a soft argillaceous 
Findstonc, which in some places is found disposed in 
horizontal strata. On tlie surface there is a layer of 
vegetable mould, of various depths. 

The origin of this bed of loam is uncertain. It may 
perhaps, be a marine deposition ; bat <he more probable 

pinion, is that whieh ascribes it to the decay of vegc- 

fjrmed by Dr. Smith, of rhlladelphia, on a specimen of sand 
brouglit from the waters of the Scioto river, which proved it to 
contain ^okl. Having in my possessipn several specimens of a 
ssmihir kind,%vhich had been marked as disintegrated granite and 
gneiss, I have been induced to subject them to the action of the 
tests for d-.scovering gold ; the result is, that a single specimen 
only, contains any portion of that metal. 
G 



r* PICTURE OE CINCINNATI. 

tables. The volatile parts escai)ing in the course of s 
long series of years, would leave behind the earthy and 
metallie substances. Of the latter, iron is known to be 
the principal. In the soil it is but feli^htly oxydated, 
and has a dark color-^in the loam, it has become more 
highly charged with oxygen, and assumes the redish 
yellow hue, mentioned above. 

IV. It is fiimiliar to all persons in any degree versed 
in geological science, that granite, gneiss, mica-slate, 
and other rocks termed primitive^ urenahirally inferior 
in situation to all the strata that have been described. 
In the western part of Ohio, these stones are found on 
the surface of the ground, or partly imbeded in (he lay- 
ers of soil and loam. They are sometimes solitary 5 at 
other times a great number of masses may be seen coL 
lepted together and piled on each other; as in the town- 
eliip north-west of the village of Eaton, Preble county. 
They are of all irregular shapes, and of various sizes. 
The largest I have ever met with, is in the tonn just 
r.ienticned. It is composed of quartz and mica, and 
was estimated by Mr. Jesse Embrec, who ascertained 
the dimensions of that part which rises above the 
ground, to contain at least 300 cubic feet. The strata 
underneath are secondary silicioiis limestone. Tliest 
fragments of primitive rocks are said to be scalicred 
extensively over the state of Ohio, the Indiana Tcrri^ 
tory, and Kentucky. 

^rhe mighty operation which trar,sported into this 
country, these numerous niasses; is entirely iinkno-vn. 
Mr. Kirwan has suggested that the him])^ of g;rai}i(? 
which exist in limestone countries, v/ere thro-.m (hitlser 
by volcanoes. But the. masses under consideration, are 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 75 

perhaps too iiiiaieroiis, some of them too lar^e, their 
surfaces too free from vitriScation, and their distribu- 
tion too much in groupes, to favor this siigj^estion. — 
This country, moreover, contains no volcanoes, nor any 
obsolete craters, that have yet been discovered. Mr, 
Tilloch remarks, that masses of stone are sometimes 
transported by cakes of ice, in which tliey happen to he 
imbeded : Mr. McKenzie informs us, that the country 
north of the great lakes is granitic : the secondanj stra- 
ta of this region indicate it to have been once a sea; 
and the declivity from near the lakes to the Gulph of 
Mexico, favors the supposition, that at some former 
period there were currents over this part of the conti- 
nent, from north to south. By these currents, the mas- 
ses of primitive stone might perhaps have been brought 
down ia cakes of iecj and depoilted where they are now 
found. 



78 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Sect'ion iiu BOTJIJ^^Y, 

A general treatise on the vegetable productions of 
the western part of the state of Ohio, would much ex- 
ceed the limits of this work, and still more, the know- 
ledge of its author. Nothing further, therefore, will 
1)6 attempted, than a catalogue of the forest trees, and 
such herljiiceous plants as are deemed useful in medi- 
cine and the arts. Many species will unquestionably 
be omitted; but enough, it is hoped, can be exhibited, 
to prove, that the botanical resources of this quarter are 
not inferior to those of any other part of the United 
States. 

I. FOREST OP THE MIAMI COUNTRY. 

FAMILIES. SPECIES.* POPULAR KAMES. 

CKPHALANTiiusoccidcntails Button tree 

CoRNUS florida Dogwood 

candidisslma Swamp dogwood 

alterna Alternate-branched do, 

serlcea, L. Eose or red willow 

Ptelea trifoliata Shrub trefvil 

Hamamelis virginiana JFltchhazle 

» Not having seen that rare wotk, the Flora Boreali- Ameri- 
cana, until this catalogue was prepared for the press, most of 
the specfic appellations are those found in the Arbustum Ame- 
ricanum, of Marshall. To these, no author's name is added. 
Those marked L. are from the Systema Naturae, translated by 
Turton ; the letter C. refers to Rees' Cyclopedia ; and the names 
of the oaks are those of Michaux^ as quoted in Meast*s Geolc 
glcal Vigv,% 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 75^ 


FAMILIES. 


srr.ciEs. 


POPULAR NAMES. 


VlTIS 


vulpina, L. 


Fox grape 


^— — . 


labrusca, L. 


Fall grape 




serotina 


Winter grape 


Hedera 


quinquefolia 


Ivy 


Ceanothus 


americanus 


JVeW' Jersey tea 


EUONYMUS 


carolinensis 


Indian arrow-wood 




sempervireiis 


Evergreen do. 


"" 


Celastrus 


scandens 


Staff tree or bittersweet 


LONICERA 


virginiaua 


Honeysuckle 


RiBES 


oxycanthoides 


Gooseberry 





floridum 


Black currant 


Ulmus 


americana 


Slippery elm 




mollifolia 
nigra 


White elm 


Sambucus 


WW /t'C/l-C^ CL'li' 

Common elder 




pRTitfidJpnsis 


Red berried elder 


Viburnum 


prunifoliuin 


Black haw 


Staphyl.ea 


trifollata 


Bladdernut tree 


Rhus 


radicanSjL. 


Poison vine 




glabrum 


Sumach 




typhiniim 


Stagshorn sumach 




copa11ia,iim 


Lentiscus leaved do. 




suaveolens L. 


Trifoliate sumach 


iEsCULUS 


flava, L. 


Common or foetid buck- 




maxima* 


Sweet buckeye [eye 



BOTANICAL NOTE. 

* The first specimen of this g-enus is figured in the Elements 
of Professor Barton, and is recognized by the writers named in 
the preceding note. Their descriptions are, however, some- 
what confused, and seem to have been made from specimens of 
two gpecies, considered, perhaps, as mere yarleties- The jiumef 
Gs 



'8 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 



FAMILIES. 
DiRCA 

Vaccinium 
Laurus 



SPECIES. 

palustris 
stamineum 

sassafras 
beuzoia 



POPULAR NAMES. 

Marsh leatherwood 
Long leaved vaccinium 



Sassafras 
Spicewood 



Cercis canadeDsis 

GuiLANDiNA dicecia 
Hydrangea frutescens 



Eedbud 
Coffee tree 
Mock snow hall 



Prunus vlrgiuiana Wild cherry 

several varieties aud perhaps species of plumb 

tree. 
Crat^gus7 five or six species and several varieties of 
Mespilus 5 Iia'^^'' 
Pyrus 



eoroaaria 



Crab apple 



-Es. octandra, -SEs, flava and Pavia lutea (the latter found in the 
travels of the young-er Michaux, who speaks of but one species 
in the western country) seem to belong- to the common buckeye. 
This, and the sweet buckeye, agree in the following characters : 
Stamina seven : style one, absent in about four-fifths of the 
flowers, which have the rudiments of a germ, but are abortive 
and transient : Calyx swelled and five cleft : Petals four, the 
two superior with clav/s twice the length, the lateral with claws 
of equal length with the calyx : Capsule three celled, nuts amy- 
laceous ; Leaves in five-fiDgered sets. 

The distinguishing specific characters of the iCs. flava, for 
which foetida or lutea would certainly be a better name, are the 
following : Corolla generally of a light sulphur color — superior 
petals, with an orange colored spot— the lateral diverging .. 
Stamina longer than the petals : Capsule prickly : Leaves equally 
serrulate, broad lanceolate, smooth : The whole plant with a 
'' " ' ""• The leaves and .fruit noxious to animals which 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 



79 



Rosa 



RUBUS 



SriR.EA 



parviflora, L. 
lucida, L. 
Carolina, L. 

palustris 

fniticosus 

hispid us 

occiJentalis 

opulifolia 

tomentosa 



} 



POPULATl NATttES. 



Wild roses 

Swamp rose 
Blackberry 
Running blackberry 
Raspberry 
JS*ine bark 
Downy spircca 



TiLiA aniericana 

pubescens 

^Magnolia acuminata 

Annona glabra 

Liriodendhon tulipifera 



tilGNONIA 
ROBINIA 



radio an s 
pseud-aeaela 



Black linden tree 
Oblique-leaved do. 
Cucumber tree 
Faivpaw, two varieties 
Poplar, yellow ^'whiti 

Trumpet flower 
Floweriu": locust 



eat them. This tree grows exclusively in rich soils, and occa- 
sionally attains the diameter of 3 feet, and the height of 60 or 70. 
The other species has a larger flower, with a corolla commonly 
red, rarely yellow or orange— the lateral petals heart subrotund, 
concave and closing the corolla : Stamina siiorter than the petals 
and concealed : Capsules smooth : Leaves larger than the last, 
declining, lanceolate, wedged towards the base, unequally ser- 
rate, and generally villous underneath. This species delights 
in rich hills, and is seldom seen far fi'om the Ohio or its larger 
tributary streams. It frequently arrives at the height of 100 
feet, and the diameter of 4. As it is perhaps the largest species 
of its family, and does not appear to have attracted the attentioR 
of the botanists, I have ventured, until that shall be the case, 
to propose for it, the appellation of maxima. 



80 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

FA:\riLiES. sprxiES. popular names. 

AscYRUM liypericoides St. Peter^s ivort 



MORUS 

Betula 



rubra 
nigra 
Alnus rubra 

ferrugiuea, L. 
eastanea, L. 



Red mulberry 
Black birch 
Common alder 
Beech 
Chesnut 



Carpinus betulus \ir^misina. Hornbeam 
. — ostrya Hop hornbeam 



JUGLANS 



nigra 

cinerea, L. 
alba ovata 
alba minimi 
alba odorata 



Black walnut 
Butternut 
Shell-bark hickory 
Pig nut 
Balsam hickory 



There are perhaps other species, of this genus, 
and several varieties, some of which appear 
to be hybrids. 



PiNUS Abies 
Platanus 

QUERCUS 



CORYLUS 

Thuya 



americana Hemlock 

occidentalis Sycamore 

macrocarpa Bur oak 

alba White oak 

prinos acuminata Chesnut oak 
prinos montieola Mountain chesnut oak 



cinerea 

tinctoria 

falcata 

eoccinea 

americana 

occidentalis 



Upland ivilloiv oak 
Black oak 
Spanish oak 
Red oak 
Hazle nut 
American arbor vitce 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 81 



FAMILIES, 


SPECIES. 


POPULAR NAMES. 


Salix 


nigra 


Rough barked willow 





sericea 


Ozier 


ViSCUM 


album 


Mlsseltoe 


Xanthoxylos fraxinifollum 


Prickly ash 


Smilax, four 


or five species of Green briar 


Po PULLS 


deltoide 


Cotton tree 




tremula 


Sspen 




Taxus 


canaJeasis 


Canadian yew tree 


JUMPERUS 


virginiana 


Red cedar 


Acer 


saccharinum 


Sugar tree 


- 


glaucusn 


Red or water maple 





penDsylvanicum Mountain maple 




uegunJo 


Box elder 


Celtis 


occidentalis 


ILwkherry 


DlOSPlROS 


virgiuiasa 


Per Simmon 


Gleditsia 


triaeantlios 


Honey locust 


Nyssa 


sylvatica 


Sour gum 


Fkaxinus 


amerieana ? C, 


White ash 




sambuci folia? C. 


Swamp ash 


, 




nuadraT»oTilaris?Ti 


. Blue ash. ■ 



REMARKS. 

I. The foregoing catalogue comprises absjut six(y 
genera, and upwards of one hundred species of trees, 
which are named. If to these we add the ditfereut 
kinds of Crataegus, luespilus, prunus, sniilax and other 
shrubs, which are known to grow in this quarter, but 
have not yet been scientifically examined, we have for 
the forest of ihe Miami country, more than one hundred 
and twenty species. Mr. Marshall's Arbustum Ame-^ 
ricanum contains descriptions of one hundred and five 
genera, and two hundred and iifly species 5 from which 



S2 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

it appears that the forest of this district produces more 

than half the genera, and about half the species, which 

were by Mr. Marshall known to exist in the United 

States. 

II. Mr. Miehaux, as quoted by Dr. IMease, asserts 
that in the United States there arc ninety kinds of trees 
which grow above 40 feet in height : in the Miami 
country, there are about forty -five which attain to that 
elevation. According to the same authority, there are 
in the Union, thirty species which rise above 60 feet : 
in this quarter, there are at least an equal number 
which grow to that height. Hence it appears that the 
soil of this tract is superior to that of the United States 
generally, for it affords as many trees above 60 feet in 
height as all the states taken together, while it has only 
half the number of species. 

III. The most valuable timber trees are the white 
fioweriag locust, white, black, low-land chesnut and 
buT oaks, black walnut, wild cherry, yellow poplar, 
blue and white ash, mulberry, honey locust, shell bark 
hickory, coffee nut and beech ; all of which, except the 
iirst, are common throughout the Miami country. 
Many other species, such as the sweet huckeye, sassa- 
Itus, sugar tree, red maple, linden tree and box elder 
are seldom used for timber ; but are of great value, ia 
tjie mechanical arts. Experience has shown that the 
timber of the western country is softer, weaker and less 
durable than that of the Atlantic states; which is no 
doubt owing to its more rapid growth in a fertile, cal- 
careous soil and humid atmosphere. 

IV. The most elegant flowering trees and shrubs are 
the fol!ow.\Dg, which excel ia the order of their cuuaie- 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 83 

ration : dogwood, red bud, white flowering locust; crab 
apple, ]ioTieysuckle, black haw, the different species of 
roscsj plumbs avA haws, the buckeyes and yellow pop- 
lar ; most cf which are common, and for that reason 
are seldom transplanted into our streets or gardens. 

V. The beech, white oak, sugar tree and soma kinds 
of walnut, hickory and ash, are the most numerous cf 
any trees in the Miami country. The flowering locust, 
abundant in Kentucky and along the Ohio, is rarely 
found more than SO miles north of that river. Tire 
clissnut, persimmon, fox grape and mountain-chcsnnt 
cak are still scarcer. TIic arbor vitss, hemlock, yew. 
mountain maple, red berried elder and witch Iiazic I 
!iave only found at the falls of the Little Miami ; while 
the swamp ash, cucumber tree, rose willow, leather 
wood and aspcn,sccm to be connned to the more northern 
pDrtions of this tract. 

YIo The jnglacs paean (a species of Liekcry) araiia 
f.pinosa (angelica tree) and bignonia cataipa (eafaipa 
tr?--') are eoramon in the Indiana Territorj' as far norlh 
r.s the latitude of Cincinnati, but are not found cast of 
the Great Miami. The white cedar and cypress (cu- 
pressns thyoides and distielia) are found on the river 
Yf abash; and the white pine (piiius strobus) is said to 
be occasionally seen on tlie waters of IJie Musklns-um ; 
hui neither is found in the Miami country. The cane 
(avnnda gigonton) seems not to have at any time grovrn 
norlh of the Oliio, in tliis state. On the Wnbasli it is 
f-^qfiently soen,])iit seldom pushpt? iteolf further norllx 
t]:an 39**. In the fertile pf\rls of Kentucky, Oiis rcge- 
table, 23 years ago, formed extensive a:id almost impo- 
r.elrable brakes, which have long sitiee been dcvorired 
OT cattle, and at present not asinjrlc st;?]k e^^^ V-^ fo^md. 



S4 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

n PLANTS USEFUL IN MEDICINE AND THE AKTS. 

MATERIA MEDICA. 

It has been doubted wliether i)hysician8 are well em- 
ployed when searching for new medicines ; the cata» 
logue, it is said, is already too extensive, and requires 
ahridgement instead of augmentation. This may he 
correct, when applied to the Materia 3icdica generally; 
hut cannot be true in relation to that of a particular 
country, and therefore should not deter us from re- 
searches into our medical botany. We may perhaps 
discover new medicines of more cSicaey than many 
r» hich are now employed ; or we may at least find sub- 
slitutes for a number of foreis^n articles. The advan- 
iages of tins, \vould be a cheap and constant supply of 
such medicines, in a recent and genuine state, a lessened 
dependence on foreign nations, and an increased confi- 
dence in cur own rssources. The only agency which 
ihe following catalogue can have in the produfelion of 
ihese national beneilts, is that of e:ihibiting the names 
of tlie more common rr^edleinal plants in a small district 
of titc western country. This service, altho' humble in 
the extreme, cannot be wholly useless; for it may serve 
to call tliS attention of our physicians to what might 
ivjicrwise be neglected, and at the same time contribute 
to the perfection of the general catalogue of North 
American medicines. It is not supposed (hat tlie 
articles are, in every ease, referred to the proper 
]iead?5 ; nor is this passible, in the p'2sent state of 
our ^Materia ]\Iedlca. Of many of the simples com- 
posing it, the most \a hich we yet knew is. that they 
£?o medicinal. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. a5 

STIMULANTS. 

Actea raceniosa — sqaaw root, the root 

Aristolocllia serpentaria — virginian snake root, f/ie roof 

Arum triphyllum— Indian turnip, the root 

Datura stramonium — Jamestown weed, tJie leaves 

Humulus lupulus — hop, the flower 

Junipcrus vir^iniana — red cedar, the leaves and berries 

Laurus sassafras — sassafras, the bark and oil 

— benzoin — splcewood, the oil of the fruit 

Leontice thalictoides — pop2)oos root, the plant 
Panax quinquefolium — gensang, the root 
Phytolacca decandra— poke, the berries 
Rhus radicans — poison vine, the juice [berrie$ 

Xanthoxylum fraxinifolium — prickly ash, the bark and 

Toxirg. 
Chironia annularis — centaury, the herb 
Cornus florida — dogwood, the bark and flowers 

sericea— rose willow, the bark 

Frasera verticillata* — Colombo, the root 
Hydrastis canadensis — yellow reot, the root 
Liriodendron tulipifera, yellow poplar, the bark 
MagBoiia acuminata — cucumber tree, the bark ^ fruit 
Quercus falcata — gp&tiish oak, f/ie btirk 

EOT,^ICAL NOTB. 

* This ifi tlj^ Frjsara caroUniensis of Walter, and the Frfisera 
waiter! of Michaux. 1 am infovraed by Professor Barton, that 
he proposes to caU it verticillata, which, as being the best de- 
signation, is here inserted. One of the botanical editors of 
Rees* Cyclopaedia ("Dr. Smith') considers this the Swertia difTor- 
mis of LirnnKiis, which is ne doubt the case ; but it may be ques 
tioned whether Llnnxus was correct in referring" it to the gtnuf 

H 



86 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

ASTRIKOEWTS, 

Acer rabrutn — red maple, the bark 

Diospiros virgiuiana — persimmon, the bark and unripe 

Fagus ferruginea — ^beech, the bark [fruit 

Geraninm maculatum — crowfoot, f/ie root 

Orobanehe virginiana — beech-drops, the root 

Prunus virginiana — wild cherry, the bark 

Quercus — several species of oak, the bark 

Swertia. In the western country, the root of this plant has ac- 
cfuired a sort of factitious reputation, from its resemblance in 
appearance and taste, to the ofiicinal coloniba. In the year 1809, 
for the purpose of ascertaining the supposed identity of these 
substances, i submitted the former to some experiments ; the 
results of which were printed in the Notices Concehniitg Ciw- 
eiBTNATi; and (as that pamphlet was never publishedj are here 
transcribed—" This root gives out its bitterness both to aque- 
ous and alcoholic menstrua, but more fully to the laiter,' the 
reverse of which is the case with the colomba. Its spiritous 
tincture suffers decomposition, upon the addition of water, indi- 
eating that it contains resin, which ihe colomba does not, at 
least in any considerable quantity. And the addition of a de- 
coction or tincture of galls to its watery or spiritous infusion, 
causes no precipitate of cinchonin, one of the chief constituents 
of colomba.'* The inference from these experiments of course 
was, that the Frasera verticillata is a distinct vegetable from 
the eastern colomba ; which conclusion has since been confirmed 
by the discovery of the plant that produces the latter ; and 
which is found to belong to the class dioecia or polygamia, ("a J 
instead of tetrandria, to which the Frasera is referred , 

It is a bitter, without aroma, and in its recent state is said to 
possess considerable emetic and cathartic powers. As a medi- 
cine, it is perhaps equal to any of our native tonics. 

(a J See Edinburgh Review, vol. svi, and Barton's CuUen, 
■vol. ii. 



PICTURE OF CIXCINiVATI. 87 

EMETICS. 

J'EscuIus flava — commoD buckeye, the hark 
Asarum sanadense — ^wild ginger, the root 
Euphorbia ipecacuanha — wild ipecac, the root 
Eupatorium perfoliatuni — thorough wort, the leaves (J* 
Lobelia iuflata-r-indian tobacco, the leaves \^jioiver$ 
Folygala senega — seueka snake root, the root 
Robinia pseud-acacia — white iloweriug locust, the bark 
Sanguinaria eanadengis — puccoon, the root 
Spirjca trifoliata— indian pljysic, the root 

CATHARTICS. 

Asclepias decumbcns — pleurisy rooty the root 
Cassia marylandica — senna, ^Ae leaves 
Euphorbia colorata — bowman's root, the root 
Iris versicolor— flag, the root 
Juglans eiaerea — butternut, the bark 
Podophyllum peltatum — may-apple, the root 

DIUnETTCS. 

Collinsonia canadensis — ***** the root 
Lobelia «iphilitica — ***** tfi^ ^qqI \floivers 
Serratala spicata — spiked saw wort, the root, leaves ^ 

ANTHELMlIirTICS. 

Chenopodinm anthelniintieum — worm seed, the distilled 
Lobelia cardinal is — cardinal flower, the root [oil 

Veratrum hiteuni — devilsbit, ths root 

DEMULCE^^TS. 

Ulmiis amerieana — slippery elm, the bark 
Tilia amerieana — linden tree, the bark 

PLANTS USED IN DYEING AND THE DOMESTIC ARTS, 

Acer saccliaiinum — sugar tree, the sap 

iEsculus flava et maxima — common and sweet buckeye, 

Agarieus campesti is—mushroom, the plant [the nuts 



ss PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Asele])ias syriaca — swallow woft, the stalk and niilkg 
Ciisciita amcricana — dodder, the plant [juice 

Galium linctorium — the root 

Hydrastis caiiadengis — yellow root, the root 
Impatiefcs liiflora — wild toach-me-uot, the root 
Jaglf.Tis nigra — blaeji waluut, the shells 

« fcinerea. — butternut, the bark 

Fyrus earoiiaria — crab apple, the fndt 
Q'lercus tliietoria— black oak, quercitron, th^ bark 
Rhus glabriiiii — sumach, the twigs and berries 
Hani^uinaria canadensis — pueeoon, the root 
Yacciaiufa macrocarpon — cranberry, the fruit. 
III. CALEND VR OF FLOU \. 
As an appendix to the scctioR on botany, tJie following 
brief essay towards a floral calendar is here introduced. 
It will be found to fall far short of a display of the an- 
i-uiai pro2;res3 of the vegetable kingdom in this quarter; 
and is only expected to impart some general informa- 
tion on that subject. ^Rlost of the dates are the mean 
terms of several years observations. These observa- 
tions were made on plants growing in the valley of the 
Ohio, and on the declivity of the adjoining hills, where 
th£ developement of vegetation is four or five days ear- 
lier, than at the distance of even a few miles north. In 
the interior of the Miami country, tins dilTerence is so 
gjreat, as to attract the attention of all travellers, who 
in spring or autumn jourtiey in that direction from 
Cincinnati. Between the vallies of Mad river and the 
Ohio, it is supposed to eqwal ten or fifteen days. The 
causes of this remarkable backwardness in the former 
situation, appear to be, in part, its higher latitude, 
{greater elevation, and damper soil. To obtain results 



PICTURE OP CINCIIVNATL 89 

that would exhibit the mean progress of vegetation in 
the Miami country, Lebanon, Hamilton or Franklin, 
would be a proper station. 

FLORAL CALENDAR. 

March 5 Commons becoming green 

6 Buds of the water maple beginning to open 
lilach ^ — 



weeping willow 



8 gooseberry - 

12 '— honeysuckle 

26 peach tree - 



— . Radishes, peas and tongue-grass planted ia 
the open air 
April 8 Peach tree in full flower 

— . Buds of the privet beginning to open 
15 _ cherry tree — 

— Red currants beginning to flower 

18 Buds of the flowering locust beginning to opes 

— Lilach in full flower 

20 Apple tree 

2* Dogwood 

May 9 Flowering locust in full bloom 
12 Indian corn planted 

— Honeysuckle beginning to flower 
June 4- Cherries beginning to ripen 

- Raspberries 

6 Strawberries 

- Red currants — 

24} Hay harvest 

July 4> Rye harvest begun 

10 Wheat 

iS Blackberries ripe 

Hs 



30 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

July 15 Unripe Indian corn in market 

18 Indian corn g;enerally in flower 

21 Oat harvest 
Au^. 5 Peaches in market 
Sept. 20 Forest becoming variegated 
Oct. 25 Indian corn gathered 

SO Woods leafless. 
It may not be uninteresting to add to these average 
datesj a few of the extremes from which they are dedu- 
ced. So diiferent in successive years, and so irreguhir 
in the same, are the approaches of spring, that in the 
periods at which similar phenomena occur, there 
is often a dilTerence of more than a month. Thus, for 
example, in 1808, the weeping willo^V unfolded its leaves 
about the 20th of February^ and in 1808 by the 1st of 
March ; but in 1813, that operation was deferred to the 
mh March, and in 1807 to the Gth April. Even during 
the same spring, the progress of vegetation is occasion- 
ally sus-pended. This was the case, to a remarkable de- 
gree, in 1810. By the 22d & 25th February, the buds of 
the water maple and weeping willow began to open ; by 
the 5th of March ihe^j- became stationary, and, with the 
other vegetables then beginning to expand their leaves & 
flowers, continued without advancing till near the 10th 
of April. On the 15th of that month, the forest around 
Cincinnati exhibited, when viewed from the town, not a 
single leaf; altho' many tree^had begun to foliate and 
flower early in March. In the seasons at which gardens 
are made, and the Indian corn planted, there is an equal 
diversity. The latter, in the same situations, is planted 
in successive years^ from the 25th of April to the l«it of 
June, 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 01 

Section i;\ CLIJMTE. 

Iq attempting to obtain a correct knowledge of the 
climate of a country, the study of its winds is of the 
first consefjuenee. Fo be successful in this, requires a 
general acquaintance with its surface and aspect. It is 
not sufficient to observe the topography of a narrow- 
spot ; for the course and character of a wind are often 
materially changed by very remote objects. Compre- 
hensive geographical views are therefore necessary ; 
and of this kind are the following — for the introduction 
of which no further apology will be offered. 

North America is traversed by two ranges of high 
monnlains — the Allegheny and Chippewan. They are 
found near the eastern and western sides of the conti- 
nent, w idely separated ; but resemble each other in di- 
verging from the meridian, in opposite directions, at 
the same angle — in lying about equal distances from 
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans— -and in preserving, 
throughout their whole extent, a parallelism with the 
coasts, to which they are respectively contiguous. The 
western, or Chippewan range, is the highest and most 
extensive ; originating near the arctic circle, and 
spreading into elevated table land in Mexico. The 
Alleghenies eouimence immediately south of the Gulph 
of St. Lawrence, in the 48th degree of north latitude ; 
and are lost iu the 34th or 35th degree, betv/een the 
state of Georgia and the Mississippi river. In the 
latitude of Cincinnati, these ranges are about 2d°, or 
1300 mii^s asunder. The intermediate country is 
hounded oa the south by the Gulph of Mexico, and on 



93 PICTURE OP CINCINNATI. 

the north by a chain of lakes stretching to the north- 
west, from the 42d to the 60th degree of latitude. 

From this arrangement of mountains and lakes, re- 
sults a division of North America into several great 
regions : 1. The mountainous, consisting of two distinct 
and distant ranges ; neitlier of them so high as to be 
covered with snow in the summer. 2. The western 
Qjaritime, lying along the Pacific ocean. 3. The east- 
ern maritime, extending from the Alleghenies to the 
Atlantic ocean, and naturally divisible into three sec- 
tions — the northern, middle and southern. The rivers 
of the first, run nearly from north to south ; those of the 
second and third, from north-west to south-east, leaving 
the mountains at right angles. 4. The lakes, and im- 
mense wilderness situated beyond them. 5. The valley 
or basin of the Mississippi, bounded on the west, east 
and north, by the regions just named. Being thus 
surrounded, the climate of this extensive tract must 
necessarily participate of all those which are adjacent. 
The mountain districts produce some of its peculiari- 
ties; but more are perhaps attributable to the region 
of snow and ice and half frozen lakes, in the north. 

Considered without reference to the others, the 
central or Mississippi district, may be characterized 
as a plain from 800 to 1000 feet above the ocean— 
dc'pressed in the middle from north to south — cut in 
various directions into numerous vallies, by streams 
of every width — generally covered with trees in the 
eastern, and with herbaceous plants in the western 
parts — arid and rolling in the south-east ; dry and 
level in the west ; marshy to the north, and wet to the 
south. 





Degr. 


810 


g2.7r 


*U 


56.63 


'12 


d2.H5 


'13 


52.76 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 9S 

I shall now proceed to state some of the results of 
the observations made at Cincinnati, during the last 
ninf years ; distributing them uader the following 

heads: I. XEMPERATURii II. winds III. WEATHER— 

IV. STORMS V. COMPARISOi^ BETWEEN 1 HE INTERIOR 

AND EASTERN STATES. 

I. TEMPER A TURB. 
The Tollowing table exhibits the mean annual results 
Dfei^ht years observations on the state of the ther- 
mometer;* 

!)<=§•. 

1S06 5^.10 

'7 54.40 

'8 5040 

'9 5440 

The average of theso results is abont fifty four deo«rees 
and a quarter; which, as it accords with the heat of our 
deep wells and copious perennial springs, may be re- 
garded as an accurate expression of the standard tempe- 
rature of Cincinnati. 

The annual range of the thermometer will appear 
from the following statement : 

• Daring tills period, several different thermometers were 
used in succession ; most of them made in London, and known 
to be correct, by being' subjected to the proper experimental 
examination. They were uniformly hung in contact with wood, 
against the north side of a house, under shelter, and secluded 
from any strong reflection of the sun's rays. The results, in 
the table for the three first years, are from observations made 
by lieut. col. Jared Mansfield, when Surveyor General of the U, 
States. His residence xras four miles north of Cincinnati. The 
hoars for making the observations have constantly been before 
sunrise, and at or a little after 2 o'clock P. M. whicii are gene- 
rally the coldest and warmest times of the day. 



U PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 





Lowest. 


Highest. 


Ranpi*. 


806 


9° 




94*? 


85'' 


'or 


11 


below 


95 


105 


'08 


4 


do. 


98 


102 


'09 


2 


do. 


Q4f 


96 


'10 


7 


do. 


91 


98 


'11 


9 


do. 


96 


±0^ 


'13 


5 


do. 


96 


IGl 


'13 


10 


do. 


97 


lor 



Giving 100® as a mean term. 

The greatest degree of cold ever observed at this 
plae(*, was ou the 8th of January, 1797 ; when, accord- 
ins; to ejt.vernor Sarj^ent.the mercury fell to 1S° below 0. 
In Smtueky. nearly half a iJegree soiith of this town, 
Dr. IVonipban, during the same montb, observed it to 
fall 4° below 0. At Lexington, a degree further south, 
in the sai.ie month, the mercury sunk 2° below 0. From 
nine years observatior.s. at Cincinnati, it appears that 
the thermometer faUs below cypher twice every winter. 
The greatest heat knov>'n at this place was 98°, as ex- 
pressed in the preceding table, if to -bis be added 18, 
the point to which the mercury felt below in 1797, 
we have 11 6** for the range of the thermometer, at this 
place, since its settlement. From several years obser- 
vation, it appears that the mercury rises to 90? or up- 
wards, 14 days every summer. 

The average heat of each month, ascertained by ob- 
servations from 1S09 to 1813, inclusively, is expressed 



in the following tabl( 


3 : 






! 


Deg. 
Janu. 29.88 


May 


Deg. 
61.3^ 


Sept. 


Deg 
6S.29 


Febru. 34 43 


June 


71.16 


Oct. 


55.08 


March 43.97 


July 


74.51 


Nov. 


41.75 \ 


April 57. D3 


Aug. 


73.27 


Dee. 


34.54 ] 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 95 

The monthly extremes and ranges^ during the same 
period, are averaged and stated in the succeeding table ; 



January from 


Beg. Beg. 

—2 to 59 
6 — 66 


range 


Deg. 
61 
60 


March 


16 — 73 




07 




28 — 84 




56 


May 


40 — 88 




48 




49 ■— 98 




44 


July 


54 — 94 




40 


August 


53 — 90 




37 


September 

October 


46 — 88 

28 — 80 




42 
52 


November 


13 — 66 




53 


December 


10 — 5Q 




46 



The mean of the greatest diurnal variations from cold 
to heat, and from heat to cold, in each month, through- 
out the same term of time, is exhibited in the following 

statement ; 



From cold to heat. 


Fiom heat to cold. 


January 29.00° 
February 31.60 


SO.OQo 
27.40 


March 34.40 


32.80 


April 29.60 


32.50 


May 32.75 
June 27 97 


32.50 

26.00 


July 26.60 


25.00 


August 27.00 


25.75 


September 29.75 
October 30.25 


26.25 

30.25 


November 28.75 


27.25 


December 24.20 


24.75 


The mean term of these results 


is 29.32 desrrees for 



the variations from cold to heat, and 28.37 degrees for 
those from heat to cold. Hence it appears, that the 
opposite changes are nearly equal ; which is contrary 
to popular opinion. 



96 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

The following table contains a monthly average of 

the difference between the temperatures of the morning 

and afternoon, daring the five years before mentioned : 

De^. Veg. 

January 11.36 July 17.60 

February 12.^5 August 17.50 

March 13.84 September 18.75 

April i8,57 October ±5.29 

May 15.74 November 12 39 

.Tune 22.08 December 9 54 

The average of these numbers, 15 1-2 degrees, is the 
mean annual difference between the coldest and warmest 
portions of the day at Cincinnati. 

More than tliirty years ago, the Moravian missiona- 
ries,* residing on the waters of the Ohio, observed, that 
in advancing northwardly from that river, the climate 
becomes colder in a greater ratio than the increase of 
latitude. In confirmation of this opinion, 1 have re- 
ceived from Messrs. John Johnston, Abraham Edwards 
and Charles Este, a variety of facts and observations, 
some of which have been already stated in the floral 
calendar, and others will be introduced when treating 
of the weather. 

Nothing certain is at present known, respecting the 
comparative heat of different places in this region, 
under the latitude of Cincinnati. To the west, as far as 
St. Louis, on the Mississippi, the heat, it is probable, 
remains nearly the same — beyond that town, at no very 
great distance, the proximity of the Chippewan moun- 
tains, to the westward, must unquestionably reduce the 
temperature of the plain j but to what degree remain?' 
to tve ascertained. 

* See l.osklePs History. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 97 

That our climate has undergone a change, is the 
opinion of many people. The regular observations 
made here at an early period are too' few and desultory 
to determine this point with accuracy ; and many of 
them cannot now be had. The deficiency however, has 
been supplied in part, by conversation with numerous 
intelligent persons long resident on the Ohio, and by an 
abstract of meteorological observations, politely fur- 
nished by governor Sargent, formerly of this town. 

The winters between 1785 and '91, are stated to have 
been uniformly mild. The winters of '1792-3, '95-6, 
'99-lSOO, '05-6 and '09-10 were also mild. That of 
lT9t-2 was severe, with deep snow ; the quantity which 
fell in January only, amounting to 24> inches. On the 
2od of that month, the thermometer was 7 deg. below 0. 
The winter of 1796-7, is universally considered the 
coldest ever experienced here. On the morning of the 
8th of January, as has been already stated, the ther- 
mometer was 18 deg. below ; and in the course of th» 
winter, it was below six other mornings. The Ohio, 
that winter, was shut up with ice for four weeks ; and 
frost occurred as late as the 22d of May. The winters 
of 1798-9, 1S03-4, 1804i5, 1806-7 and 1808-9, were all 
severe, but not as intense as that of 1796-7. Of many 
of the other winters since I7905not]iing certain is known, 
but it is believed they were generally temperate. 

Of the summers, less information can be collected 
than of the winters. The prevalent opinion, is, that 
on an average, they are neither cooler nor warmer than 
formerly. 

Respecting spring and autumn, not much early infor- 
mation can be obtained. But it appears, from the ma- 

I 



9S PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Buscript of gov. Sargent, that the latest vernal and 
earliest autumnal frosts in 1792, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, 
sceurred about the same time that they were observed 
to appear from 1807 to 1815. 



II. WINDS. 
Since the beginning of the year 1809, a register of 
the winds has been kept at this place. Two observa- 
tions have been made daily, with so few omissions, that 
upwards of 4200 are on record for the first six years 
ef that period. An exhibition of these would be impro- 
per in this work. The following table, containing the 
results of the whole, has therefore been constructed. 
The observations have all been reduced to the eigrht 
principal points of the compass; as more convenient 
and better calculated for general information, than a 
greater number. 







OBSERVATIONS 










S.E. 


s. 


s.w. 


N.E. 


N. 


N.W. 


E. 


w. 


calm. 


January 6 


2 


13 


8 


1 


21 


3 


6 


6 


February 5 


1 


13 


8 


1 


14 





5 


8 


March 10 


1 


18 


11 


1 


10 





5 


4 


April 7 





24 


10 


1 


8 


1 


3 


5 


May 7 


1 


19 


10 





10 


1 


'4 


6 


June 9 


1 


23 


12 


5 


7 


1 


2 


.9 


July 6 


1 


19 


11 


2 


11 


1 


4 


4 


August 6 


1 


23 


10 


1 


12 


1 


1 


6 


September 6 


1 


23 


9 





8 


2 


3 


3 


October 9 


1 


24 


6 


1 


10 


2 


4 


3 


November 9 


3 


13 


6 


1 


10 


2 


7 


5 


December 7 


1 


11 


5 





15 


2 


6 


9 



87 14 221 100 14 136 16 50 6:3 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 9§ 

From this table it appears, 1. That the diffd^rent 
winds of Cincinnati prevail in the following order : 
seuth-west — north- west— -north-east — south-east— west 
— east — south and north. 2. That the south-west is 
the prevalent wind nine months out of the twelve ; viz. 
from March to November, inclusively. 3. That the 
north-west wind prevails in January, December and 
February. 4. That the greatest number of calm days 
are in December and February ; the least in June, Sep- 
tember and October, which are equal. 5. That the 
southern are to the northern winds, as 322 to 256 ; or 
about 40 to 32. 6. That the western are the prevalent 
winds throughout the whole year ; being to the eastern 
as 407 to 209, or nearly as 4 to 2. 7. That the west 
wind blows only half as much in the six warmer, as in 
the six colder months. 8. That the east, south and 
north winds are nearly equal. 

Most of these deductions are exhibited by the follow- 
ing table ; in which the whole number of observations, 
stated above, are supposed to be represented by 1000, 
and the subsequent numbers to be its fractional parts. 
Mean of 6 years observations = 1000, of which the 



South-east make 


- 123 


South - 


19 


South-west 


« 313 


Southern 


= 454 


North-west 


- 192 


North 


19 


North-east 


- 460 


Northern 


= 361 


East 


22 


Eastern 


= 294 


West - - 


70 


Western 


= 373 


Calm 


87 



d<io PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

OF PARTICULAH ^VINDS. 

1. The south-west. This m ind, which, as we have 
just seen, prevails on the Ohio three fourths of the year, 
exhibits two dilfercnt characters, or ii divisible into 
two varieties — the humid and the arid. The former of 
these is characterized by prevailing throughout tlie 
sight ; by generally continuing two or three days after 
its commencement ; by alternating with the north-east 
wind ; by sinking the barometer more than any other 
ferial current ; and by always causing clouds, and ge- 
nerally rain, which is often profuse. The arid south- 
west commences between sun-rise and 10 o'clock in the 
morning. It is at first very gentle, and increases in 
force with the progress of the day until 4 or 5 o'clock 
in the evening, when it begins to subside. About sun-set 
it ceases, and the succeeding night is clear and serene. 
This is the predominant wind in the hottest and dryest 
weather, with which indeed it is identified iu the mind 
of every observer in this country^. Its prevalence, in 
comparison with the other variety, is perhaps as eight 
or ten to one. It is seldom attended with an atmos- 
phere altogether cloudless, but never produces any 
other form of rain than a thunder shower. It sinks the 
barometer less than the humid south-west, but raises 
the thermometer higher than any other wind. It is not 
known whether at present it prevail more or less than 
upon the first settlement of the western states.* 

2. The north-west. This wind, like that already de- 
scribed, exhibits two varieties, one of which occurs in 
warm, the other in cool weather. A state of calmness, 

* For some remarks on Mr. Volney's theory of this wind, see 
Appendix, No. II. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. loi 

er the dry south-west, generally precedes and follows 
the former of these varieties. It is the gale which at- 
tends thunder storms ; and of course commences to the 
windward. Its duration is transient, seldom continuing 
longer than a few hours, and its geographical extent is 
equally limited. The other, which is the principal va- 
riety of north-west wind, begins, it is well known, to 
the leeward ; it generally succeeds rain, and may be 
regarded as the harbinger of fair weather. In spring 
and autumn, however, it is frequently attended with 
moderate showers, which seldom continue more than a 
day ; and in winter it produces snows, that are some- 
times among the deepest which fall in this country. 

Ill common, it does not exhibit any noeturnal inter- 
mission, tho' for the most part it blows with less violence 
at night than in the day. It is generally followed by 
a calm, which is succeeded by the south-east or south- 
west wind. It frequently undergoes a change into the 
north-east, blowing from every intermediate point of 
the compass. On the barometer and thermometer it 
produces effects opposite to those of the south-west 
wind. The greatest elevation of the former, and de- 
pression of the latter of these instruments, hitherto ob- 
served at this place, were during the prevalence of this 
wind. The longer it continues, the lower is its tempe- 
rature ; and when that is not too much reduced, this 
wind feels as pleasant, as it is uniformly pure and in- 
vigorating. 

3. The north-east. This wind, b^a5(^ending the St. 
Lawrence, may reach Cincinnati without passing over 
the Alleghenies ; but it generally traverses tho§e moun- 
tains, and deposits on them a part of its humidity, as 
I 2 



102 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

appears from its seldom producing much rain or snow 
along the Ohio. Except, however, when it succeeds to 
the moist south-west, and follows a storm, this wind 
constantly produces one of those, or at least cloudy 
weather. In temperature and weight, it holds a medium 
between the south-west and north-west. It sometimes 
continues to blow for a week after a south-west storm, 
during which the sky will be perhaps nearly clear. It 
is inrariably moist, and produces in all exposed to it, 
the sensation termed rawness ; tho' in a much less de- 
gree than in the Atlantic states. 

4. The south-east. This partakes much of the cha- 
racter of the humid south-west, for it raises the ther- 
mometer and sinks the barometer in a moderate degree. 
It is always damp, and generally produces rain or snow. 
It frequently succeeds to the north-west, and is thea 
for the most part attended with a clear sky. 

d. The west. This is generally a cool and rapid wind. 
From the region it traverses in reaching this place, it 
must necessarily be dry and enlivening. In the winter, 
when it continues long enough for the air of the Chip- 
pewan mountains to arrive, it produces intense eold* 
sinking the thermometer sometimes below cipher. 

§. The north, easty and south. These winds do not 
prevail, respectively, more than one week in each year. 
The first seems to possess most of the qualities of tha 
north-west, and the second of the north-east; the third 
appears to be a modificatiQa of the humid south-west, 
an^ is always stormy. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 103 

III. WEATHER. 
CLOUDS. 

So various and undefinable are the degrees of tnrbid- 
ness, from the total obscuration of the sun, to the few 
scattered and fleecy clouds which are at all times to be 
seen, that to express the proportion of clear and cloudy 
weather, is extremely difficult. I have adopted the 
plan of noting those days as clear, in which the fore or 
afternoon is fair, if the other part of the day should be 
attended with broken clouds ; and of recording those 
as cloudy, in which only one part of the day is altogether 
obscured, if the other be but overcast or hazy. Those 
days which throughout are in this latter state, and those 
which are partly clear and in part cloudy, are noted as 
variable. The fault of this method is, that it gives 
perhaps an undue proportion of clear and cloudy day* 
to those which are changeable ; but I know of no better 
plan, that would not be too troublesome, both to the 
observer and the reader. 

The following table, composed from 426 S obscrva- 
tioDS, expresses the results of six years : 

Clear days. Cloudy days. Variable days. 



809 


180 


107 


68 


'10 


158 


113 


91 


'11 


187 


78 


85 


'12 


±52 


106 


107 


'13 


185 


111 


68 


'1* 


173 


112 


74, 



Mean terms, 172.33 lOl.SS 82.16 

From these results it may be expected, that, of tha 
365 days in the year, about 176 will be fair, 105 cloudy, 
and 81 variable. 



104< PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

The condition of the weather, in each month of a 
mean year, for the above period, is exhibited in the 
following statement : 

Clear days. Cloudy days. Variable days. 
January 9.8 13.1 7.8 

February 10.3 12.0 6.5 

March 13.5 9.1 8.3 

April 13.1 10.8 7.6 

May 13.0 8.5 7.5 

June 15.5 5.0 9.6 

July 19.0 5,5 6.0 

August 19.6 4.6 . 6.5 

September 19.5 5.3 6.1 

October 16.1 6.0 8.1 

November 9.5 13.5 5.5 

December 9.6 14.1 5.8 

From this table it appears, that July, August and 
September, have the greatest, and about an equal num- 
ber of fair days ; that October, June and May compose 
the next class; to which succeed the months of March 
and April, followed by February, December, January 
and November; that in the four latter months there is 
the greatest proportion of cloudy weather; that next to 
these rank April, March and May, succeeded by the 
remaining months, which are nearly equal. Lastly, 
that in the number of days which are variable, accord- 
ing to the sense in which that term is here employed, 
there is among the months no great difference. 

RAIN. 

The amount of rain and snow which falls annually 
at this place, has not been accurately determined, but 
maybe stated at about thirty-six inches. Taking the 
mean of a series of years, it is found that in April and 
May there falls the largest quantity ; jiext to these are 



PICTURiE OP CINCINNATI. 105 

November, March, December, July and October, suc- 
ceeded by Janaary, August, February, September and 
June. The same month, in different years, affords very 
different quantities of rain. September has been ob- 
served to vary in this respect, from less than an inch, 
to more than five ; October from half an inch, to eia;ht ; 
and April from two to nine, which is the largest quan* 
tity ever measured at this place in a single month. The 
spring rains are sometimes excessive, and protracted for 
eight or ten weeks ; during which there are showers 
perhaps, on art average, every third day* During the 
spring of 1813, there fell upwards of sixteen inches; 
four times the quantity which fell in the ensuing four 
months. At other times, this state of things is reversed. 
In the spring of 4814, there fell not more than nine 
inches ; and in the three subsequent months, the quantity 
was equal to fourteen. 

Every irregular distribution of the spring and sum- 
mer rains, is of course prejudicial to agriculture. The 
copious and long continued storms of the former season, 
now and then check the early growth, or even prevent 
the planting, of many important vegetables. To these 
rains such dry summers occasionally succeed, that the 
pastures are consumed, the leaves of the Indian corn 
become curled, and those of many forest trees, in dry 
situations, die and fall off before the appointed time. 
But, fortunately, such extraordinary droughts occur too 
seldom, and are too limited in their extent, to be re- 
garded as any great calamity. 



106 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

SNOW. 

The quantity of snow which falls at Cincinnati, is ': 

inconsiderable. The deepest that has occurred, was j 

perhaps ten inches, hut four is about the ordinary J 

depth 5 and many are not more than two or three. 1 

This being the case, and periods of mild weather '\ 

occurring frequently in every winter month, the j 
ground seldom remains covered longer than two or 

three days. Our snows generally follow rain, and fall- ; 

ing on a wet surface, are in part instantly dissolved. : 

The quantity which remains, does not, on an average, \ 

eSeeed eighteen inches each winter. In the northern _, 

part of the Miami country, and on the waters of lake J 

Erie, from 40° to 42° north latitude, the snows are both I 

deep and durable. On the 4th of January, 1813, near i 
the Scioto river, in latitude 40° 40' Dr. Greenlee found 

the snow twenty inches deep, while at this place it was j 

©nly six. At Fort Wayne, abo^t two degrees north of ' 
Cincinnati, the ground has been covered from the first 
of December to the first of April, while in this town, 
the same winter was mild and rainy. The snow at 

that place has even been fourteen inches deep as late as < 

the 21st of March, when there was none here, and the , 
thermometer rose to 40°. The absence of snow, the 

sudden thaws, and short periods of intense cold, which « 
characterize our winters, have frequently been found 

injurious to the crops of wheat and rye. j 

HOAR-FROST. ] 

This is perceived every clear and calm morning j 

throughout the winter. In the mouUi of January, the • 

coW is sometimes so intense, that minute particles of j 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. lor 

i«e are seen falling after sun-rise. In February, espe- 
cially towards its close, the white frosts are considered 
the principal agent in promoting a flow of the valuable 
saccharine juice afforded by the sugar tree. So long as 
they return, even in the month of March, sugar water 
of a good quality will continue to run ; but so necessary, 
in this case, is the agency of frost to the conversion of 
gum into sugar, that mild weather and southerly winds, 
at any time in the season, invariably diminish the quan- 
tity of water and proportion of saccharine matter, while 
that of mucilage is so much increased, as to prevent 
granulation by any means yet adopted in this country. 

Mild weather in the early part of March frequently 
promotes vegetation to such a degree, that the subse- 
quent frosts do great mischief. In this manner our 

I fruit, except in the vallies of the Ohio and other large 
streams, where it suffers less, is injured, and sometimes 

I entirely destroyed. The latest vernal frosts are gene- 
rally at the close of the first week in May ; now and 
then as late as the middle of that month ; and on the 
uplands north af the town, still later by eight or ten 
days.* 

i CHEMICAl NOTE. 

• It is a well established fact, that in the spring-, altho* the 
fruit of these vallies is much forwarder than on dry and eleva- 
ted situations, it suffers less from frost. This scenes to be owing 

' chiefly to the fogs, which probably operate in the following 
manner : When vapor is condensed into water, it gives out a 
lar^ portion of heat ; if it undergo consolidation into ice, as in 

* the production of frost, it discharges an additional quantity of 
caloric : Now, when the lower portions of a fog are cooled 
to the freezing point, and pass into ice, the heat which is libera- 

"' ted ascends and keeps up the temperature of the super.ncumo 
bent vapor. In this manner, its congelation advances by very 



108 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

The earliest autufenal frost observed in the vicinity 
of this place, was on the 9th of August 1809. On the 
last day of that month Ih 1789, the Indian corn in the 
northern part of Kentucky was killed by frost. In 
o-eneral, the last of September is the earliest period at 
which white frost is perceptible in the valley of the 
Ohio. In the upland country it is seen several days 
earlier. Towards the heads of the Great Miami, these 
September frosts are so severe as sometimes to injure 
the Indian corn which was planted late in the spring. 

It is an intense winter at Cincinnati, which, in expo- 
sures to the sun, keeps the ground frozen a montV. 
The frost sometimes penetrates to the depth of eight or 
ten inches ; but for the most part, there is no congela^ 
lion below five or six, 

HUMIDITY. 

The fogs of the Ohio and its tributary streams are 
most common from May to October, inclusively. They 
are generally succeeded by fair and hot days, and are 
seldom seen in cloudy or windy mornings. They are 
too dense to admit the view from one side of the Ohio 
to the other ; but generally suffer dissipation before 

slow degrees. In a dry situation, there is not much vapor to 
condense, but little heat is of course set at liberty, and the cold 
increases to such an extent as to freeze the young- and succulent 
fruit. Were the fogs and dews of these vallies exhaled during 
the day, entirely from the fields over which they settle, as in the 
upland country, their nocturnal condensation would impart no 
more heat than what they had carried oiF when evaporating ; but 
as they aris-e from the surface of the river, their decomposition 
over the land, must be regarded fts a real transportation of he«,t 
from the former to the latter. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 109 

eight O'clock. In winter ihey are occasionally seen 
and admired under the name of visible vapor. When 
of this kind, they arise to a great height, in dense and 
circumscribed columns. The thermometer is on these 
occasions for the most part at or below cipher ; or at 
least the air is much colder than the water. 

The dew, in the \vooily rallies of this country, is so 
copious in the summer and early autumn, as to be felt 
before sun-set. In the course of the night it sprinkles 
from the leaves like drops of rain ; but in more eleva- 
ted and open situations, its quantity is much less. 

Mr. Ellicot* has pronounced the country between the 
Ohio and lake Erie, to be moister than the Atlantic 
states. His observations, however, were made in the 
depths of the forest, and cannot therefore be compared 
with those made in a settled country. It is said that 
iron and brass become tarnished in a shorter time at 
Cincinnati than in Pennsylvania: but the diiference, I 
apprehend, is not very great. There is no difiUculty at 
this place in keeping surgeons' instruments from rust- 
ing ; linen well dried, and kept in drawers, may after- 
wards be used with as little airing as in the easti^rn«tates; 
and musquetocs along the Ohio are uncommon. The 
summer of 1S14 formed an exception to this statement. 
During that rainy season, laost of the books in the libra- 
ries of the town, and dried specimens of plants kept in a 
close herbarium, for the first time became more or less, 
mouldy, and musquetoes were numerous for many weeks. 
I'pon the whole, the diminution of moisture wliieh fol- 
lows the clearing and cultivation of our wood lands, is 

* Fhilosephical Trjins&ctions, vol. iv. 
K 



110 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

such, as to support the couclusioii, that when the coun- 
try shall bo extensively opened, its atmosphere will 
become as dry as any part of the Union. 

INDIAN SUMMER. 

In the autumn of every year, we have a period to 
which this appellation is affixed. It generally succeeds 
to rain or snow and severe frost; beginning in October 
or November, and continuing for two or three weeks, 
with an occasional storm. But the atmosphere is, for 
the most part, dry, serene and smoky, through which 
the sun and moon Exhibit in the morning and evening 
a face of darkened crimson. The verdure of the forest 
fades away, or passes into the countless varieties of 
brown", red and yellow, which give to the surrounding 
scenery a dull and sombre aspect. The occurrence of 
rain, with a north-west wind, at length suddenly dis- 
pels the gloom, strips the wood of its remaining foliage, 
and introduces winter, with a transparent and cheering^ 
atmosphere. 

The effect of this peculiar atmosphere on hypocon- 
driacs, tho' less in degree, is similar to that produced 
by the November fogs of Great Britain. 

The cause of this smokiness is supposed to be the 
conflagration, by the Indians, of withered grass and 
herbs on the extensive prairies to the north-west, and 
hence perhaps the aame of the season. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. ill 

IV. STORMS. 
This country has never been visited by a violent 
storm either from the north-east or south-east; nor do 
the clouds from any eastern point between north and 
south, often exhibit many electrical phenomena. But 
from every direction on the opposite side of the meridian, 
they come charged with lightning & driven by impetuous 
winds. Of these thunder-gusts, tlie north-west is by 
far the most prolific source. They occur at any tlina 
during the day and night, but most frequently in the 
afternoon. The arid south-west having blown in fitful 
breezes through the forenoon (the thermometer rising 
rapidly, and (he barometer falling) not long afler mid- 
day a dark cloud is observed in the north-west. As it 
advances, it is preceded by light winds, and illuminated 
with frequent flashes of lightning; while in the zenith, 
and to the south-east, the condensation of vapor inlo 
clouds may be seen going on with great activity, and 
in a ihort time the whole sky is obscured with a dark 
canopy. The wind now and then increases until it ac- 
quires such momentum, as to unroof or demolish the 
frailer kind of houses, prostrate whole fields of corn, 
and open vistas through the stoutest woods. A profus* 
fall of rain, with tremendous thunder and lightniisg, 
generally follows. Trees and houses are sometimes 
Btruck, but no very serious injury has been sustained in 
this place— not one house has been destroyed, nor a 
single person killed. To the raging of the storm suc- 
ceeds a refreshing coolness and elasticity of the air; 
liie volumes of dust which thickened it are found to be 
dispersed; the pale and drooping leaves display a 
deeper verdure; and the animal powers, rendered laa- 



112 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

guid from tjie preceding heat and rarefaction, are eom* 
pletely renovated. 

The south-west oceasionally sends forth hurricane* 
stjll more destructive. The most extensive and formi- 
dable \vhich v.ahave suffered, was on Sunday the 28th 
of May, 1809. For two or three days previous to that 
time, the wind was various, with a turhid atmosphere. 
On the morning of the 38th it veered to the south, and 
hlew with violence. During the forenoon, while the 
lovver clouds were passing rapidly to the north, th* 
upper were moving with equal velocity to the east | 
indicating a superior current, which traversed the course 
of tlie south wind at riglit angles. Before twelve o'clock 
both strata of clouds were propelled eastwardly, and 
soon after the west wind was perceptible at the earth's 
su'face. By three-quarters past one o'clock, the sky 
Vtas very mucli obscured, and a narrow whirlwind or 
tornado of great force, swept iinpetuonsly across (he 
eastern part of the town. It demolished a few old 
buildings, threw down the tops of several chimnies, and 
overturned many fruit and shade trees. The people in 
the centre of the town had scarcely time to view this 
alarming operation, before their own houses were sha- 
ken to the foundations by another gale of equal violence; 
thi^ was immediately succeeded by a third, wliieh tra- 
versed the western part of the town with augmented 
fury. By this last, a handsome brick edifice, designed 
for tuition, was blown down, in consequence of having 
a cupola disproportionate to its area ; and various minor 
injuries of property were sustained — but the inhabitants 
escaped unhurt. A copious shower of rain and hail, 
with thunder and lightning, increased the terrific gran- 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 113 

deur of the scene. Each of these tornadoes ascended 
the hill to the north-east of the town, forming a track 
through the forest, which remained visible for mora 
than a year. Several veins of a similar kind passed 
ever the adjoining country, both south and north, to the 
distance of a hundred miles. The same hurricane, as 
appears from the public journals, ascended the Alle- 
ghenies during the afternoon, and made its exit from 
the contiaent about 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening. To 
the south-west of this place, as far as the state of Ten- 
nessee, it seems to have occurred nearly at the same 
hour that it commenced here. Beyond that state, I 
have not been able to trace it. Mr. Henry Beehtle, 
who was on the Mississippi in latitude 33°, felt nothing 
of it on the 28th, but experienced on the preceding day a 
brisk southern gale; and I am informed by gov. Sargent, 
that in the vicinity of Natchez, the 2Sth was fair, 
with moderate southerly breezes, which v. as the casa 
for many days before, and several days after that, on 
which the storm occurred. 

From the history of this hurricane, altho' very imper- 
fect, it appears—. 

1, That it commenced to the windward. 

S. That it travelled about 80 miles an hour. 

3. That it wag not derived from the Gnlph of Mexico. 

4. That it was formed, about tiie same time, in the 
western parts of Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, by 
the collision of two winds, the south and west; which 
when combined, of necessity moved towards some point 
between north and east, with increased velocity and 
power. This, however, nitist be regarded as a deduction, 
and not, Kke the three first, as a well ascertained fact, 

K2 



114 PICTURE OP CINCINNATI. 

On the afternoon of the 4th of May, 181-4, we expe- 
rienced, from the same quarter with the hnrrieane just 
described, another of less violence, which was attended 
with some peculiarities worthy of record. The weather 
liad been changeable throughout the earlier part of the 
day, and in the afternoon there was a fall of hail, with 
fcut little thunder or rain. The hail-stones at thig 
place, tho' misshapen, were of the ordinary size ; but 
in the western part of the county, some of them were of 
surprising magnitude, and of many angular forms. 
Several weighed from 8 to 10 ounces each, and mea- 
sured between 15 and 16 inches in circumference. It 
was perfectly calm whe« they fell, or much mischief 
would unquestionahly have been done. The hail storm 
was followed by a moderate shower of rain, and a power- 
ful blast from the south-west, in which many persons 
at Cincinnati felt currents or veins of air, Iseated te 
R very unusual degree. On the next day the foliage of 
various plants was found to be destroyed. It was chiefly 
the leaves which grew to the windward, and were con- 
sequently most exposed, that suiFered. They were nei- 
ther lacerated nor wilted, but sustained an injury, which 
upon exposure to the sun the ensuing day, caused them 
to wither. In some cases, only the tip of th« leaf pe- 
rished; in others, the whole was destroyed. Whether 
this extraordinary eifect should be ascribed to heat, or 
to a noxious quality of the wind, is uncertain. I could 
not perceive that one species of plant was more affected 
than another; and of individuals growing near the sam« 
spot, it was corampB tc find only a part affected. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. llS 

V. COMPARISON BETWEEN THE INTERIOR AND 
ATLANTIC STATES. 

Ever since the publication of the celebrated " Notes 
on Virginia," in 1787, the Ohio-eountries have beea 
considered warmer, in the same parallels, than the At- 
lantic states. The difference was supposed, by Mr. 
Jefferson, to equal what would result from three degrees 
of latitude. Imlay, in his letters en Kentucky, 
written four years after, has advanced a similar opinion. 
The ingenious Mr. Volney, availing himself of the 
facts collected by the former of these authors, has ex- 
tended their remarks, and assigned to the hot region its 
Morthern and southern limits ; which he iuforms us are 
the aeth and 42d degrees of latitude. Professor 
Mitchill, in his learned and thorough review of Mr, 
Volney's book, by not opposing, has admitted this as- 
sertion, and Dr. Mease, in transcribing large psrtiong 
of the speculations on this subject, into his *' Geological 
View," has given them his sanction. Finally, Doctor 
Morse, and most other compilers of American Geogra- 
phy, have adopted this opinion, and its diffusion among 
the people of the United States has for many years been 
general. Thus fortified with eminent names, and 
guarded by popular prejudice, it may seem a rash un- 
dertaking to attack this position; bu4 as not many of 
these gentlemen ever visited the western country, and as 
most of them were, it is evident, in«possession of but 
few accurate observations on the climate of this region, 
it may perhaps be excusable to doubt the correctness of 
their conclusions. 

That there is a difference of temperature in the cli- 
mates of these regions^ is perhaps undeniable ; but it 



Its PICTURE OF CINCINNATI,* 

seems to co»isist more in the disfribution, than in the 
absolute quantity of heat. — Oi at least, if there be a 
difference in this respect, it can not equal one-third ojf 
what has been mentioned. That the Miami country, 
in its climate, resembles the centre of North Carolina; 
and that Richmond, for four months, is invested with 
the ice and snows of Fort Wayne, is what those who 
may happen to winter successively in these various and 
distant places, will, I appreL3nd, scarcely admit. But 
the most conclusive facts in opposition to this opinion, 
are furnished by the thermometer. The average result 
of eight years observations at this place, it will be re- 
collected, is 54 25 degrees. Dr. Rush states the annual 
heat of Philadelphia at 52 3 degrees ; more recently, 
Dr. Coxc, from six years observations, deduced 54.16 
denrees. From manuscript information, with which I 
have been liberally furnished by Mr. Legaux, it appears 
that the mean heat of Springmill, on the Schuylkill, 
nearly a degree north of this place, as drawn from 
seventeen years observations, is 53.3^ degrees. The 
mean term of these, 58 66 degrees, considered as the 
standard temperature of that quarter, is only six-tenlhs 
of a degree lower than that of Cincinnati, which is 50 
minutes further south. Again, Mr. Legaux found ihQ 
mean heat of 1810 and 1812, at Springmill, to be 54.50 
and 54.30 degrees ; that of the same years at Cincin- 
nati was 32.77 and 52.65 degrees, giving in both cases 
about one degree and two-thirds less heat to the latter 
than the former. Again, Mr. Jefferson states the heat 
of a cave in Virginia, near the ldli,i:de of Cincinnati, 
at 57 degrees, about two degrees more than the Leat of 
the earth at this place. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 11^ 

A reference to the temperatures of summer and winter 
will give nearly the same results. From nine years 
«hservations (three at Springmill by Mr. Legaux and 
six ill Philadelphia by Dr. Coxe) the mean suraaierheat 
of Pennsylvania appears to be 74^.6 degrees. The mean 
summer heat at this plae?, for an equal number of year?, 
is 74.1 degrees. The average number of days on which 
the thermometer ascended to 90 degrees or upwards, 
during the same period, was fourteen each summer; 
and the greatest elevation observed, was 98 degrees. 
All of which would bear a comparison with correspond- 
ing elevations in Pennsylvania. Mr. Logaux* declares 
the most intense cold at Springmill, from 1787 to 18f>0, 
to be 17.5 degrees below 0; within that period, at this 
place, the mercury fell, as we have already seen, 18 
degrees below 0. The average of extreme cold, ia 
several years, is stated by the diligent observer just 
named, at 1^8 degrees below cipher ; the same average 
at this place, from five years observations, is 2 degrees 
below. Mr. Volney asserts that he has seen the mer- 
cury, for several successive days, at 6 and 8 degrees 
helow cipher. Near the Ohio, in December 1796, ths 
mercury was observed for three mornings in succession, 
to be 14, 12 and 1 degree below 0, and for the ensuing 
three, to full between 8 and 1 degree above. Again, 
we are told by Dr. Rush, that in Pennsylvania, the 
parallel of 41 degrees is the southern limit of steady 
told ; in the state of Ohio, numerous observations go to 
prove that the cold is intense and regular, even before 
advancing to that latitude. And Mr. Veluey informs 

* See M'Mahon's Calendar. 



418 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

U8, that the Potomac seems to constitute a southern limit 
to the snows of Pennsylvania and Maryland, as sleighs 
are almost useless and unknown beyond that river; ia 
this country, of the Ohio river, in the same latitudes, a 
similar remark may be made. Lastly, the French tra- 
veller informs us, that in the times of harvest at 
Monticello and at Kaskaskias, near the river Missis- 
sippi, places having the same elevation and latitude, 
tliere is a perfect coincidence j and I have found, by 
comparing the seasons for harvesting hay, rye, wheat 
and oats, ©n the Schuylkill, as stated by Mr. Legaux, 
with the same at this place, that there is no difference. 
But much reliance is placed on the growth and resi- 
dence, in this country, of certain plants and animals, 
which in the maritime states are, it is said, not found 
as far north by several degrees. Of the former, Mr. 
Jefferson has cited the reed and catalpa; of the latter, 
the parakeet. We will consider these separately. 4. 
This bird, it is true, resides constantly along the Mis- 
sissippi, Ohio, and tlieir tributary rivers, as far north 
as 39*^ 30', and is seen oecasionaiiy up to 43*'. But it 
is a well ascertained fact, that the climate of thest 
latitudes is much colder than that of places in the 
Atlantic states, where this bird is rarely seen. Ther« 
must be causes, therefore, fur its higher latitude in thii 
country, that are not connected with eliniute. One of 
these, Professor Barton iuggests, is the southern course 
of our great rivers If this bird, as most of its family 
still are, was ftrigiiialiy an inhabitant of the tropics, it 
must have migrated into the depths of this region, along 
the Mississippi and Ohio. The wide alluvial vallies of 
these rivers, it is observed by the late ingenious and 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. lid 

lamented Alexander Wilson, abound in the favorit© 
food of this bird; such as the fruit of the cockle burr 
(xanthium strumarium, L.J oypress, hackberry, beech 
and sycamore, most of which are rare ©r unproductiya 
in Pennsylvania. To these, the same distin^ished 
Ornithologist remarks, may be added the salines or 
lalt licks of this country, about which he never failed^ 
to see flocks of parakeets. Finding a region abun- 
dantly stored with agreeable food, this bird long sinco 
became its permanent inhabitant; and acf^uired hardi- 
ness of constitution sufficient to e^ijoy good health, 
where the average heat of some months in winter is 
seven degrees below the freezing point. In the Atlantic 
states, the rivers flow to the east or south- east. In 
advancing towards Pennsylvania, therefore, this bird 
oannot travel along, but must cross their vallies ; a 
movement which it has no inducement to make, and 
hence it generally stops among the cypress swamps of 
North Carolina and southern Virginia. 2. The eatalpa. 
It would seem that soil, or some other circumstance, 
more than climate, regulates the geography of this 
tree ; for it is found on the Wabash, in the latitude of 
the Miami country, and grows perfectly well at this 
place, but was never seen here until planted. It flou- 
rishes in Pennsylvania, and even preserves itself in the 
<tlimate of Great Britain, if placed in sheltered situa- 
tions. Its native growth in the western country can- 
not therefore be considered an evidence of superior 
mildness of climate. 3. The reed or cane, which, I 
believe, has not been found east of the Big Sandy, was 
probably brought to this latitude by that river, together 
with Licking and the Kentucky. Finding % saline, 



120 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

fertile soil, it became naturalized, as it no doubt woiilil 
in the dry alluvial lands of the Potomac. There 
is certainly nothing in the coldness of the climate along 
that river to prevent it; for in the winter of 1796-7, in 
a part of Kentucky where the cane once grew Ihxu- 
riantly, and where it still existed, the thermometer 
between the 22d December and the 10th January, sunk 
many times below cipher, and once to 14? i-2 degrees 
beneath that point, without destroying that vegetable. 
To these examples Mr. Volney has added several 
others, as the cotton, tobacco and Indian corn ; sassa- 
fras, pawpaw and pican. The last of these trees is 
peculiar to the western country, and cannot therefore 
he used in the comparison : the pawpaw grows in the 
fertile parts of Virginia, as far north as this town, and 
the sassafras is found even on the banks of lake Cham- 
plain : the Indian corn is cultivated with success in 
New-England, and tobacco has long been one of th« 
staples of those parts of Virginia and Marylawd which 
are under the same parallels^ with the Miami country ; 
cotton is not considered worthy of cultivation in the 
state of Kentucky north of Gr^en river, in lat. 37* 30% 
altho' it will occasionally ripen at Cincinnati, as it has 
been known to do near Pliiladelpliia. Such are the 
facts adduced to substantiate this opinion. Most of 
them, I think, prove nothiwg; and if a few be admitted 
to give some feeble support, they are sufiiciently coun- 
teracted by the thermometrical and other observations 
which have been stated. 

Other phenomena might be cited in support of Mr. 
Jefferson's conclusion, but when critically examined 
they fail to have ihat effect. 1. The Delaware at 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. isi 

Philadelphia is oftener frozen over than the Ohio at 
Cincinnati ; but this seems to arise from tliat city being 
50 minutes further north than this town ; and from 
the former of these rivers being much cooled by deep 
Inows after flowing directly south, out of a mountainous 
tract between latitudes 43 and 43 degrees ; while the 
Ohio for 400 miles meanders in a deep, narrow and 
reverberating valley, has generally a western direction, 
at one ptint extends as far south as 3u° 30', and receives 
the Kenhawa and Big Sandy rivers, which originate 
between 36 and ST'^.* Every five years, on an average, 
is perhaps as often as the Ohio is blocked up with ice 
at this town. Concerning the Potomac, in this respect, 
I have been able from the accounts of that river to 
collect nothing. 2. Another fact, is the existence of 
the soft-shelled turtle in the waters of the Ohio, while 
in the Ailantie states it is not found north of Georgia, 
It is even said that this reptile inhabits lake Erie, 
which is not improbable, as it could pass thitlier in 
those floods which occasionally connect the tributary 
waters of the lake and Ohio. But waving this, it is 
certain that this turtle is found in waters much colder 
than any of South, or even of North Carolina 5 so that 
its higher latitude on this side of the mountains cannot 
be considered as indicating inordinate heat. 

* How much the freezing of rivers in the middle latitudes is 
affected by their courses, appears further, from the i'uct commu- 
nicated to me by Mr. Wm. Rector, that in the winter of 1808-9 
the Mississippi, at St. Genevieve, in latitude about 38 degrees, 
was so firmly covered with ice in a single night, as to bear 
horses and carriages the ensuing day. The river »bove that 
town runs directly from north to south, 

I. 



122 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Mr. Voltiey considers the superior prevalence of the 
south-Mest wind in this couniry, a conclusive proof of 
greater nwldness in its climate; and this, it must be 
confessed, seems at first view a strong fact. Did it 
blow ten months out of twelve, and travel directly from 
the Gnlph of Mexico, as Mr. Volney supposes, it must 
of necessity raise the temperature of this country much 
higher than that of the Atlantic states. But it prevails 
only nine monlhs of the year ; has generally no great 
velocity ; in most cases, blows not more than eight hours 
of the twenty-four; and there is reason to believe that 
but little of it comes from the Gulph of Mexico. It 
probably consists of air from beyond the Mississippi, 
which isobeyingageneral law of the atmosphere in the 
temperate zone by moving eastwardly, and from which 
course it is deflected by the vallies of the great rivers 
that traverse this region. Considered under this point 
of view, we can comprehend how the south-west may 
be the prevailing wind in the interior, and the west- 
north-west in the maritime states, without any great 
difftrence in temperature ; and this is rendered still 
more palpable, by reflecting, that the rivers of the 
Atlantic states generally run from the north-west, and 
of course, when this wind reaches the summit of the 
AUeghenies, it may assume the direction of the vallies 
beyond, and be restored to its original slate of a west, 
or even become a north-west wind. Another argument 
of a similar kind, in favor of a difference of tempera- 
ture, between the interior and maritime districts, is the 
greater prevalence of the north-west wind in the latter. 
Even this, however, may in part be explained away. 
The north-west wind of the Miami country and Ken- 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 123 

(uckj, in its passage thither, traverses but few lakes. 
It comes from the northero, and perhaps most elevated 
portion of the Chippewan mountains, and is thereby 
rendered intensely cold: the same wind in the middle 
Atlantic states, passes over lakes for a thousand miles, 
and is rendered so temperate, that the region immedi- 
ately to the leeward of lake Erie has the mildest cli- 
mate of any part of the United States, of the same lati- 
tude. In crossing the AUeghenies, this current is de- 
prived of a portion of its heat; but still, perhaps, is 
generally as cold a wind at Cincinnati as at PhiUtdel- 
phia. 

To take, however, a correct view of this subject, we 
must not merely advert to the relative prevalence of the 
south-west and north-west currents in the two regions, 
hut extend our enquiries to all the southern and northern 
winds. From the best authorities to which I have been 
able to refer, it seems that tliese, in the Atlantic states, 
blow about an equal number of days in each year. At 
this place, it appears from the preceding tables, that 
the southern are to the northern as 3 22 to 256 — in other 
words, that the former prevail over the latter by nearly 
20 per cent, or one-fifth; too small a predominance to 
produce any striking difference of heat in the two re- 
gions ; and the effect of which is supposed to be dimi- 
nished — first, by the circumstances connected with the 
SQuth-west and north-west winds, as just mentioned ; 
second, by the reduction of temperature in the south- 
east, east, and north-east winds, upon the Alleghenies. 
But itis doubtless true that the same parallels are some- 
what colder east, than west of the mountains ; the causes 
of which appear to be — 1. The equality of the northern 



i24> PICTURE OP CINCINNATI. 

aijc! southern winds in the former, and the preponder- 
p,nce of the southern in the latter; but this, as we liav« 
just seen, produces much less effect than is generallj 
supposed. 2. The situation of the mountains — west 
of the Atlantic, and east of the interior states. On this 
continent, in the latitude of these states, as well as in 
the temperate zone generally, the western winds pre- 
dominate much over the eastern ; which compensates 
for an opposite movement between the tropics. At tliis 
pltiee, the former are to the latter nearly as two to one. 
The Atlantic states are therefore to the leeward, and 
the interior states to the windward of mountains 3000 
feet high ; the atmosphere of which is brought down 
twice as often on the former, as tlie latter. Hence it 
appears, that the temperature of the maritime states is 
sunk by the mountains ; and not that of the western 
states raised by the Galph of Mexico. 3. The greater 
elevation of the interior region. 4. The deeper snows of 
the maritime district. These are generally brought by 
the north-east wind from high latitudes, and when they 
are dissolved, absorb a large quantity of heat from the 
atmosphere, earth and all surrounding bodies, which 
becemes latent and Hows out of the country with the 
water that it produces, reducing the temperature of the 
surface in proportion to the depth of the snow. 

The interior have not only been declared much 
warmer than the eastern states, in the same lati- 
tudes, but denounced as liable to sudden and ex- 
treme changes, in a degree entirely unknown in the 
latter. This opinion I suspect to have arisen in part 
from the report of immigrants, who npon settling itt 
this 7iew country, have had tlieir curiosity awakened, 



PICTURK^F CINCINNATI, 125 

anil become, for the first time in their lives, attentive 
to natural appearances. They have then gone on to 
compare the sudden changes of this climate, with those 
of the climate left behind, but which, unfortunately, 
they never observed ; and of course decide in its favor. 
The thermometers of the two countries indicate no 
material difference on this point, as appears from what 
follows. Mr. Volney states the annual range of the 
mercury in Pennsylvania, on an average, at 100"*. 
Mr. Legaux even makes it more : at this place, as has 
been stated, it is exactly lOO^. The extreme range, 
taking the cold in one year and the heat in another, in 
Pennsylvania, according to various authories, is about 
120 degrees; the difference in this country, in the course 
of 25 years, has not exceeded 116''. The difference 
between the warmest and coldest times of each day in 
the year, I have found, by comparing the manuscript 
journal of Mr. Legaux with my own, is at least as great 
on the Schuylkill as the Ohio. Professor Day has 
kindly furnished me with a statement of this difference, 
at New-Haven, in 1809 and 1810, from which I find, 
that the daily changes from cold to heat were about one 
degree greater at this place than that; but the opposite 
changes were 2 1-4 degrees greater there than here 5 
aud at a short distance from the sea-board, the differ- 
ence would be still more striking. An enquiry into 
those sudden and irregular reductions of temperature, 
which are every where deprecated, would give results 
in no degree unfavorable to this country. No fall of 
the mercury at this place has ever exceeded 20° in aa 
hour and a half, which Dr. Rush states to have taken 
place in Pennsylvania. The Doctor also asserts, that 
L2 



126 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

the tliermometer has fallen 41 i-2^, and Mr. Legaux 
saw it fall 47°, in 34 hours; which is five degrees more 
than any depression ever observed here in the same 
length of time. Finally, Dr. Rush declares that there 
is but one steady trait in the character of the climate 
of Pennsylvania, and that is, it is uniformlij variable. 
From all these evidences, and from the fact that con- 
sumption, rheumatism, and other diseases ascribed to 
changes of the weather, are less frequent here than in 
the east, I think the opinion that this climate is more 
changeable than that of corresponding latitudes in the 
maritime districts, is proved to be without any sufficient 
foundation. 

The comparative estimate of the winds of the eastern 
and western states, has been in a great degree anticipa- 
ted, but a short recapitulation may not be unprofitable. 
The prevalent winds of the interior, come from between 
south and west. Some of them are from the Gulph of 
Mexico, but the greater number appear to consist of air 
which in conformity to a general law, is moving east- 
wardly,and suffers deflection to the north by the vallies 
of the Mississippi and Ohio. The winds between north 
and west are next in prevalence, and consist of two 
varieties — that which attends or follows thunder gusts 
and other storms, and is supposed by Mr. Volney to 
descend from the higher regions of the atmosphere 5 
and that which comes from beyond the sources of the 
Mississippi, and frequently continues for several days. 
The prevailing winds of the middle Atlantic states are 
between west and north. They consist of the real north- 
west, which traverses the lakes and loses much of its 
rigor, vYliiabj however, it reacquires in ascending th« 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 127 

Alleghenies — of the mountain or alpine atmosphere, 
frequently rolled down towards the ocean — and of the 
south-west wind of the interior, converted by the vallies 
of the eastern rivers into a direction north of west. The 
west wind of both regions possesses nearly the same 
qualities ; but from having traversed an additional 
range of mountains in reaching the Atlantic states, must 
be colder and drier there than here. The east, south- 
east and north-east winds of those states, taken toge- 
ther, prevail more, and are warmer and damper than 
in the interior. 

The violent north-east and south-east storms of thfe 
Atlantic states, are unknown in the western. In the 
quantity of water that falls in the two regions, there is 
probably not much difference. The south-west wind is 
the cause of great rains in the latter, and the north-east 
of still greater, perhaps, in the former. In this lati- 
tude, more rain falls west of the mountains, and more 
snow east of them. In the interior, there is more cloudy 
weather, and greater atmospheric humidity. In thun- 
der gusts, and other electrical phenomena, in droughts, 
and in the periods at which most agricultural opera- 
tions are performed, there is perhaps no material dif- 
ference. 

It remains to be acknowledged, that this comparison 
is only an imperfect outline. The observations made 
at this place are defective in many respects, but if much 
fuller, they could not, of course, indicate the climates 
of the surrounding region. The observations made in 
Philadelphia, with which those made here have beea 
in part compared, are not the most proper for that pur- 
pose, inasmuch as the extremes of temperature in a eity 



±29 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

are less than in the adjoining country. To the obser- 
vations of Mr. Legaux, I have been obliged continually 
to refer. They were, I do not doubt, made with aecu- . 
racy ; but from the unexpected result of the comparison, 
.there is much reason to apprehend that the situation of 
his thermometer, or some other circumstance, has caused 
him to assign to Springmill a higher temperature than 
it really has. It is to be hoped that some eastern me- 
teorologist, who possesses more accurate information on 
the climate of that region, than can be attained by a 
person resident in this, will undertake such a compa- 
rison as the observations made at this place would 
support. . 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. f20 



CMAPTER III. 

CIVIL TOPOGRAPIlt. 

PROPRIETORS. 

Cincinnati is Tjuiit uf.on one entire and two frac- 
tional sections ; numbered 18, 17 and 12, in the fourth 
township and first fractional range, as snrveyed by -he 
patentee, John Cieves Sjmmes. The two first of these, 
viz. the entire section No. 18, and the fraction No. 17, 
lying between it and the river, were sold by the pa» 
tentee to Matthias Denman, of New-Jersey, whilst they 
were still a wood. Not long after this purchase. Den- 
man transferred to Robert Patterson and John Filson, 
of Kentucky, an undivided third part each, making 
them joint proprietors with himself; but Filson being 
killed by the Indians, before complying with the term^ 
of this bargain, his interest reverted to Denman, who 
sold it to Israel Ludlow, of the same state with hioiself. 
A plan for the intended town was then designed, and 
in January 1789, Mr. Ludlow executed a survey of that 
part which extends from Broadway to Western Row. 
The proprietors then proceeded to sell the lots, and ia 
conformity to a previous arrangement, the purchasers 
received their deeds directly from J. C. Symmes. In 
the ensuing year the patentee laid out several blocks of 



130 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

lots on the fraction No. 12, lyin^ east of the first town 
plat. In the year 1808, the reservation around Fort 
Washington was divided into lots by the Surveyor 
General, acting under the direction of the Secretary of 
the Treasury, and sohl at public auction by the Register 
and Receiver, on the 2d of March. In addition to these 
original owners, several persons have since divided 
tracis lying within or adjoining to the first town plat, 
and are therefore to be considered as proprietors. 

PLAN. 
Philadelphia seeins to have been the model after 
which lluit portion of this town first laid out, was 
planned. Between Broadway and Western Row there 
are six streets, each 66 feet wide, running from the river 
north [6** west, and Iving 390 feet asunder. These are 
intersected at right angles by others of the same width, 
arid at the same distance from each other ; except Water 
and Front streets, and Second and Tliird streets, the 
former of \\hich are nearer, and the latter, on account 
of the brow of tlie IlilL more distant. Not a single 
alley, court, or diagoruil street, and but one common, 
was laid out. The blocks orstjuares v»ere each divided 
into eight lots, 99 by 198 feet, except thos^e lying be- 
tween Second and Third streets, which made ten lots 
each ; and those between Front and Water street-^, the 
size of which may be seen by a reference to the frontis- 
piece. I he out-lots, 81 in number, contain fouraeves 
each, and lie ehiefiiv in the north of the town. This 
plan was not deposited in the public archives for record 
until the 59 th of April, 1802. The streets in that part 
of the town laid out by John C. Syaimcs, are but 60 feet 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 131 

wide. Those intersecting the river run north 44* 
degrees west, and lie at the same distance from each 
other as the streets in the original town ; but the cross 
streets are nearer, and hence the lots of this quarter are 
shorter. The plan of this survey was not recorded by 
the proprietor till the 12th of September 1811. The 
reservation of the General Government was surveyed 
so as to connect the plats just described. The different 
subdivisions will be best understood by a reference to 
the engraved plan. 

The DONATIONS by the original proprietors are, a 
tract between Front-street and the river, extendingfrom 
Broadway to Main -street, for a public common ; aud a 
square west of Main-street, between Fourth and Fifth 
streets. The south half of this was conveyed to the 
First Presbyterian Congregation ; and the other to the 
Commissioners of the county ; a douceur, in each case, 
nearly equal to the value of the ground, being paid. 

PRICES OF LOTS. 
For several years after the settlement of this place, 
the lots along the principal streets were sold for less 
than StOO each. They gradually increased in price 
until the year 1S05, when, from a sudden influx of po- 
pulation, they rose for a short time with rapidity. 
Their advancement was then slower, till ISlt; since 
which the rate of increase has been so high, tliat for a 
year past the lots in Main, from Front to Third streets, 
have sold at §200 per foot, measuring on the front line; 
from thence to Sixth street, atStOO; in Broadway, 
Front and Market streets, from 80 to 120 ; and on the 
others, froai 50 to 10, according to local advantages. 



183 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Out-lots, and laud adjoining to the town plat, brifig 
from 500 to 1000 dollars per acre. 

I 

GRADUATION, AND DRAINING OF THE STREETS. '; 

One part of the town being elevated from 40 t^ 60 1 

feet above the other, it has long been an interesting '; 

question, whether the streets running from the river * 
should be graduated to a steep or geutle aseent. The 

latter method has at length been adopted, and Main- ,j 
street rises by degrees from Second to Fifth street. 
The earth and gravel at the intersection of Third-street 

on the brow of the Hill, and beyond it, as far as Fifth- ^ 

street,being hauled andwashed down to raise the surface ] 

beJow. The angle of ascent varies, by estimation, from ^ 

to 10 degrees. Broadw ay , Sycamore & Walnut streets, ^ 

are partly completed on the same plan. To the con- ' 

stant change of level which the streets iiave undergone | 
for many years, from the descent of gravel into the 

JJottom/isin be ascribed the want of pavements and side- | 
walks, which the town so strikingly exhibits. Prepa- 

rations are making for the pavement of Main street, ^ 

from the river to Fourth-street, the ensuing year; ' 

which will no doubt be followed by a general improve- ^ 
nient of the to'.vn in this respect. 

Concerning the points at which the water falling on | 

the town plat sliould be discharged into the river, there , 

are two opinions. The first and most natural is, that : 
it should be conducted down Second street, and emptied 
into the river below the town, through the same ravine 

which formerly carried it off. The other opinion is, I 

that each street running to the river should be so gra- ] 

dualed u,s to convey its own water. But the obvious j 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 133 

injury which tlie banks, the beach and the water would 
sustain, from the discharge of these sluices of filth 
immediately opposite the town, together with the enor- 
mous expense attending it, seem to be procurifi* for 
the other method a general preference ; and it is pro- 
bable that all the gutters west of Broadway will be 
discharged into a co^iimon sewer in Second-street, aljn«^ 
which in an open canal the water now ijideed runs. 

It has been already stated, that the north-west part 
of the Bo'tom is occasionally inundated by great floods 
of the Ohio. To prevent I'lis, it has been proposed to 
throw up a levee along the western border of the town 
plat. The cost of i!iis could not be very great, as it 
would not have an average height of more than six 
f^et, nor exceed two hundred yards in length ; and 
leaving no current to stem, it need not be vez-y strong. 
No measures, however, have yet been taken to clfect 
this important object. 

MATERIALS FOR EUILDIXG, 
Cincinnati is eligibly situated fur obtaining titesp. 
The beds of Licking and the Ohio aiTord excellent 
limestone, which, however, can on'y be q?iarried «heu 
those rivers are low. Marble of a fine quaJity can be 
brought by water from the cliffs of Kentucky river ; 
and freestone of a grey color and good texture is already 
freighted, for a small sum, from near the intersection 
of the Big Sandy and Scioto with the Ohio, where 
inexhaustible quarries exist. The clay of the lower 
part of the tov.n makes excellent brick, about five mil- 
lions of which are annually used in this place. The 
I>ime a.T'jrded by t'le common limestone h dark colored. 



184 PICTURE OP CINCINNATI. 

but the siiicious limestone pebbles, which are abundant 
in the alluvial grounds, make lime of a fine quality 
and pure white. Oak, ash, poplar, walnut and other 
native timber trees, squared or sawed into boards, plank 
and scantling, are brought to market in waggons, boats 
or rafts, and delivered on moderate terms. But the 
Allegheny mountains furnish the most valuable, and 
must long continue to aftbrd the most abundant supplies 
of timber. From those mountains, the white pine, either 
in the form of logs, boards or shingles, is annually 
floated down in immense quantities, and sold in ail the 
towns on the Ohio, at a lower price than domestic 
timber. 

The different kinds of masonry, carpentry, painting, 
papering, and Venetian blinds, are executed in a firm 
and handsome style, 

BUILDINGS. 
On the plat of Cineinnati, there is at this <inie (July 
1815) nearly llOO houses, exclusive of kitchens, smoke- 
houses and stables. Of these, more than 20 are of stone, 
250 of brick, and about 800 of wood. Six hundred and 
sixty contain families; the remainder are public build- 
ings, shops, warehouses and offices. The great pro- 
portion of frame houses seems to be owing to the vast 
immigration within a few years — a wooden house can 
be erected in a shorter time than a brick, and at seasons 
when brick work cannot be done. The dwelling houses 
are generally two stories high, and built in a neat and 
simple style, with sloping shingled roofs, and Tuscan 
or Corinthian cornices. Several have lately been 
erected with an additional story, and exhibit, for a new 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 135 

town, some magnificence. A handsome frontispiece or 
balustrade occasionally affords an evidence of opening 
taste ; but the higher architectural ornaments — elegant 
summer houses, porticos and colonnades, are entirely 
wanting. Very few of the frame houses are paiiited, 
which is the more remarkable, as the timber of which 
they are built is so perishable as to require seclusion 
from the weather. 

PUBLIC AND MANUFACTURING EDIFICES. 

The first Court house in this place, stood on the 
eastern end of the public ground. It was erected in the 
year 1803, and burned d9wn early in 1814, while a 
company of soldiers were using it as a barrack. It wag 
built oi' limestone, on a plan furnished by Judge Turner, 
in tiie-form of a parallelogram, 42 feet in front by 53 
ia depih; ihe height of the walls, including a parapet, 
being 42 feet. It had a v/ooden cupola with four pro- 
jci'tlrig faces, arched and balustraded, 20 feet high, 
terminated by a dome, and resting on a basement 2Q 
feet ^qTiare. From the ground to the top of the cupola 
was 81 feet. A couple of two story wings, to be made 
fire proof, for the purpose of public oliices, and con- 
nectcu with the body by corridors, formed a part of the 
des't2:n which remained to be executed. 

Since the conflagration of this edifice, the Commis- 
sioners of the county have sold oat, on perpetual leases, 
the whole of the public ground ; and accepted of a lot 
near the intersection of Main and Court streets ; in the 
centre of which they are now engaged in the erection 
of a second court house, 50 by 63 f et ; with fire proof 
apartments for the different offices of the county. 



135 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

The new Presbyierian church is a Tery spacious 
brick edifice, measuring 6i by 85 feet. Its eastern and 
narrower front looks towards Main-street, and is cor- 
nered with square turrets crowned with cupolas. From 
the rear is an octag'onal projection, for a vestry. The 
roof is of a common form. The height from the ground 
to tlie eaves is only 40 feet, to the top of the cupola 80, 
which is less than either side including the towers, and 
Isence i]i2 aspect of the building is low and heavy. The 
stair cases are in the basements of the turrets, and aro 
entered without passing iii(o the house. The inside 
will be divided into one hundred and twelve pews, and 
five capacious aisles. 

The Baptist church, in Sixth-street, is a handsome 
and commodious brick ediOce, 40 by 55 feet, well fur- 
nished with doors and windows, ornamented with a ba- 
lustrade, and finished inside with taste. 

The Methodisi church, in Fifth street, is a capa- 
cious stone bitilding, one s'.ory high. 

The Friends meeting house, near tlie western end 
of the sajiie street, is a temporary wooden building. 

The CiiNCiNjNATi Lancaster-seminary, on Fourth- 
street, in the rear of the Presbyterian cliurch, is an 
extensive two story brick edifice, built, vith some al- 
terations, on a plan furnished by Isaac Slagg. It con- 
sists of two oblong wings, extending from Fourth street, 
88 feet deep. Near the front, tliey are connected by an 
apartment, for stair cases, 18 by 30 feet, out of which ari« 
ses a dome capped peristvle, designed for an observatory. 
The front of tiiis intermediate apartment is to be deco- 
rated with a colonnade, forming a handsome portico, 
l^feet deep and 30 feet long. The front and each side 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, iZ7 

are ornamented vviih a pediment and Corinthian cornice. 
The aspect of the buildiogj is light, airy, and might bo 
considered elegant, were the doors wider, the pediments 
longer, and divested of the chimnies, which at present 
disfigure t!iem. One wing of this edifice is designed 
for male, (he other for female children ; and between 
tliem there is no connecting passage, except through 
the portico. The lower stories are finished entire, 
and calculated for the reception of 900 children. Each 
upper story is to be divided into three apartments, two 
in the ends 30 feet square, and one in the centre of 25, 
with a skylight, and the appurtenances of a philoso- 
phical hall. Wiien completed, the whole building can 
receive about 1100 scholars. 

Cincinnati has three Market houses — the two older 
are supported by a double, the newer one by a triple, 
row of brick pillars. The hitter extends nearly the 
whole distance from Broadway to Sycamore-street^ 
being upwards of 300 foet in length. The others are 
both shorter and narrower. 

The BUILDINGS of the Cincinnati Manufacturing Com- 
pany, on the bank above Deer-creek, are numerous and 
extensive; the main edifice is ioO feet long, from 20 to 
3T feet wide, and from two to four stories high. 

The most capaciou'-;, elevated and permanent building 
in this jilace, is the Steam mill, erected in the years 
18 12, '13 and '14, under the direction of William 
Green, an ingenious mason and stone cutter, on a plan 
furnished by George Evans, one of t!»e proprietors. It 
is built on the river beach, upon a bed of horizontal 
limestone rocks, and in high floods is for its whole 
length exposed to the current. The foaadatiou is 
M2 



138 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

C2 by 87 feet, and about 10 feet llilck. Its Ijeiglit Is 
110 feet, and the number of stories nine, iocludinf^ t',vo 
above the eaves. To the lieigbt of iO feet, (lie v.all is 
battered^ or drawn in ; above, it is perpendicular. The 
cornice is of brick, and the roof of wood, in the common 
style. It has 2-i doors and 90 windows. The limestone 
with w hich it was built were quarried at various places 
in the bed of the river, and measure in the wall 6.fi20 
perches. Besides this, it swallowed up 00,000 bricks, 
14,800 bushels of lime, and 81.200 cubic feet of timber. 
Its weigiit is eslimated at 15,655 tons. Throuii;h the 
buiidins^ there is a wall dividing each story into two 
unequal apartments— (he one desigMied for manufactu- 
ring flour; the other for retei\in<5 wool and cotton ma- 
chinery, a flax seed oil mill, fulling mill, and several 
other machines. 

It is equally creditable to the prudence of the super- 
intendent and the temperance of the laborers, tliat 
during the erection of this house, not one serious acci- 
dent occurred. 

PRESERVATION FROM FIRE. 

The means of accomplishing this, are few and inef- 
ficient. They are not therefore introduced on this 
ueeasioa for imitation, but admonition. In the year 
1808, the Select Council purchased a tire engine, and 
an association called the Union Fire Coi\ipany^ compri- 
sing nearly all the men in town, was formed. The en- 
p;ine proved itidiiTerent, and tlie orgariization of the 
company still worse. For two years it has not liad a 
single meeting. A second fire company was lately 
orgauized, wliicii it is reported, intends to do some good. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. t30 

In 1813 a tax was assessed for the purchase of another 
engine, but it Jias not yet been obtained. The ordinan- 
ces of the corporation require each house to be furnished 
with a fire bucket, but tliis requisition is disrec^arded 
by tlie niMJority They also require every male citizen, 
between t'le ages of 15 and ^0 years, to attend on the 
cry of fire ; a provision finely calculated, if enforced, 
to augment the rabble which infest such places. A raore 
important requisition, considering tlie absence oP hose 
companies, is that each dray man shall furnlbh at every 
fire at least two barrels of water. Bonfiies, and all 
oliier conflagrations on the streets or iu-iots, are ex- 
pressly but not successfully forbidden. 



WATER. 
The bordsrs of the town plat have a few indifferent 
springs, and on the surrounding hills there are others ; 
but none aftbrd water sufficient for distribution. The 
ivells are of various depths — those east of Broadway are 
from 60 to nO feet, in the Bottom from 40 to 00, and 
in some of the north-western parts of (he Hill, from 
20 to 40. Between Third and Sixth streets, and west 
of Broadway, tliey are from 70 to 100. The water 
afforded by some is slightly impregnated with iron, and 
the whole contain tlie several salts which abound is the 
wells of all countries. Cisterns are common, and from 
the general absence of coal in our fires, afford good 
water. But a large proportion of all that is used, is 
drawn up in barrels from the river. This is often im- 
pUTe, and requires time to settle ; but for m )!it domcitie 
purposes, it is preferred to well water. The propria- 



140 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

tors of the steam mill contemplate distributinj^ water 
from the river over the whole town ; a plan so inter- 
estins;, that its execution will constitute an important 
era in our public improvements. 

FUEL. 

Wood is the chief article of fuel at this place. Beech, 
ash, hickory, sugar tree, oak, red maple, honey locust 
and buckeye, are most in use. The first, from its ex- 
cellence and profusion, will long conti-nue to he burnt 
in lajger quantities than any of the others. iSlany 
teams are constantly employed in haulin™ wood into 
to^vn from the surrounding hills; but the principal part 
is rafted and boated down tlie Ohio and Licking rivers 
—-the channels through which this important article 
will be mainly received in future. 

As no coal has been discovered near to Cincinnati, 
but little of it is yet consumed here, except by manufac- 
turers. It is brought from Pittsburgh, and sold on the 
river shore at 10 or 15 cents per bushel. The English 
chaldron seems to be unknown in the aieasure of this 
article on the Ohio. 

MARKETS. 
Cincinnati has four market days in each week ; two 
mornings at the small market house between Main and 
Sycamore streets, the oldest in town ; and two after- 
noons at the market house in Fifth-street. That bet ween 

Broadway aud Sycamore-street, is not yet attended. 

The Town Council have enacted a long and complica- 
ted ordinance regulating the markets, and keep an offi- 
cer termed a clerk to curry it into effect ; but violations 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. ill 

are eonsfaiUly suffered to pass unnoticed. At one or 
the other of these market houses, fresh meats 'can be 
had, except in the midst of winter, on every day in the 
week but the Sabbath. On the regular market days, 
however, the shambles are much more abundantly stored, 
and exhibit beef, veal, pork and mutton. The last is of 
superior excellence; the first, tho' generally good, is 
said to be inferior in flavor to that of the maritime 
states, which if true, is no doubt to be ascribed to a 
difference In the mode of fattening. The poultry is fine. 
The supply of fish is not great, tho' in the Ohio they 
are abundant. Perch, pike, eel, yellow-cat and sword- 
fish are most esteemed—- to these may be added the sofi- 
sheiled turtle, which is considered a great delicacy. 
Venison is brought from the woods, during the proper 
season; and bear meat is now and then offered. The 
quantity of butter and cheese is in general not equal to 
the demand, and (uuch of both is of an inferior qriality, 
which arises from the wantof better dairies and agreatcr 
number of gf*od cows thaii have yet been introduced in!o 
the fertile pasture grounds of the Miamies. Of vege- 
tables, our markets afford an abundance. Among thesf^, 
are a great variety of fruits, both native and cultivated. 
Of the former, blackberries, crab apples, pawpaws, 
fall, winter and fox grapes, mulberries, plumbs, wild 
cherries, cranberries, and the nuts of the walnut, hickory 
and chesnut are the principal. Of the latter may bo 
enumerated many fine varieties of apple, peaches of a 
delicious fla> or, pears, cherries, plumbs, quinces, rasp- 
berries, currants, gooseberries, strawberries, grapes,* 

* These are cither brought from the vineyard of g-en. Taylor, 
in Newport, Ky. or the more extensive plantations at Vevay, in 



143 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

and various kinds of fine melons. All the culinary 
roots, herbs and pulse of the middle stales, with the 
sweet potatoe of the south, are plentiful and delicious. 
"Within four \ears, the prices ef many articles in our 
markets have advanced; which indicates a rate of in- 
crease in the population of the town greater than that 
of the surrounding counlry. The effect of this will be, 
an increase in ihe number of grazincj farms, the erec- 
tion of lari^or dairies, and the cultivation of more exten- 
sive {gardens, for the whole of which the vicinity of 
this place is most eligibly situated. 



MANUFACTURES. 

As (his town is older than the surrounding country, 
it has at no time had a surplus of laboring population 
cr of eapitkil. 'j he /'ormer have been required to assist 
in clearing and improving the wilderness ; the latter 
has been invested in lands, v/hich from their low price 
and certain rise, have held out to capitalists apowerful 
inducement. The coi]<li?ions which are said to consti- 
(lite the basis of manufieturing establishments, have 
not, therefore, existed in the same degree as if the town 
had been younger timn the adjoining country. Not- 
withstanding this, some progress has been made, as w ill 

thelndianaTerritory. This place is chiefly inhabited by a body cf 
immigrant Swiss, who employ themselves in little else than the 
cultivation of the vine, the manufacture of wine, and the distil- 
lation of spirits. Their v/ine has made its way into all the prin- 
cipal towns of the western country ; but from some defect in its 
preparation, keeping-, or the quality of the grape from which it 
i» made, raofit Jikely the former, it is apt to become sour. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 143 

appear from the following sketch, which embraces the 
inanufactnres most worthy of notice. 

Cincinnati has no iron foiindery; but is well supplied 
with bhieksmiths, who fabricate in a neat and substan- 
tial manner, every article which those tradesmen usually 
make, and many others which belong to the white- 
sniitli. Several shops are devoted to the manuruelure 
of cut and v.rought nails, which are made in sufileient 
quantities for the town and adjacent settlr^nieuts. 
Stills, tea kettles and other vessels of copper, with a 
great variety of tin ware, are made in abundance. 
Rifles, fouling pieces, pistols, dirks and gun locks of 
every kind are manufactured. It is six years since a 
manufactory of cotton and woollen machinery was esta- 
blished, in which time 23 cotton spinning mules and 
throstles, carrying 3,300 spindles ; 71 roving a?ul draw- 
ing heads ; 14 cotton and 91 wool carding machines ; 
besides wool spinning machinery to the amount of laO 
spindles ; twisting machines and cotton gins, have been 
made. /Plated saddlery and carriage mounting of all 
kinds, many diiferent articles of jewelry, and silver 
ware of every sort — after the most fashionable models 
and handsomely enchased, are manufactured. Swords, 
dirks, &c. are mounted iji any form, and either plated 
or gilt. Clocks of every kind are made, and watches 
repaired. 

Sills, chimney pieces, monuments, and in short all 
the varieties of stone cutting, are executed \wt]i neat- 
ness and taste. Common pottery, of a good quality, is 
made in siifiieient quaiitity for home consumption. A 
manufactory of green window glass and hollow ware, 
is about to go into operation ; and will be followed by 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. lil 

another of white fliut glass the ensuing summer. Clean 
sand, of a beautiful while color, has been found i-i 
abundance near the mouth of the Scioto ; but no clay 
proper for crucibles has been discovered as }et on tlie 
Ohio, and that article has to be brought from the state 
of Delaware. 

The principal manufaciures in wood are the follow- 
ing : — sideboards, secretaries, bureaus, and other arti- 
cles of cabinet furniture ; all of \^hich may be had of a 
superior quality, made either of cur beaulirul cherry 
5c walnut, or of mahogany freighted up the ^lississippi. 
l\incy chairs and settees, elegantly gilt and varnishe(|^ 
Vraggnns, carls and drays ; coaches, phrclons, gigs .[ 
and other pleasure carriages. Irimmed and ornamented. J 
Flane stocks, weaver's reeds, and the dlflerent prodiic- j 
tlons of the jathe, comprehending wlieels, chairs, ij 
screws, ike. The various kinds of cooper's work, for j 
the execution of \\hieh a machine has been erected I 
and is now in fall operation. The author of tliis in- \ 
ventlou ii V/illiam Baily, of Kentucky, who in IS 11 I 
obtained a patent. The power is given by one or two | 
h'jrses, which wil!i a man and a boy can dress and joiut, ! 
in a superior manner, (1-^ staves necessary for one liun- \ 
dred barrels, hogsheads or pipes, in tw«lve hours. It 
can also be employed in shaving and jjinling shinodes, j 
with equal advantage. The proprietors of ihe esta- 
blishnient ia this place are making arrangements fur 
the exportation of dressed staves to New-Orleans. I 

/ "To the productions in v^ocd may be added, Ihc 
SiEAM SAv/ MILL, ercctcd on the river bank, below but i 
adjoining the town. The pi iucipal buildingis astrong ] 
frame, 70 by 56 feet, and three stories high. The 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 115 

cii3;ine drives four saws in separate gates, acting at the 
rate of 80 times in a niinutej making tlie product of 
each saw about 200 feet of boards an hour. The car- 
riages run upon cast racks, are propelled by tlie impro- 
ved short hand, a.^^(l gigged backwards by bevel wheels, 
in the maiaier of ihc best mills. The logs to be sawed 
are cjjiejly brought in rafts to the beaeh, and drawn up 
tlie bank and into the mill by power from the engine. 
Otiier branches of business will be carried on in tliis es- 
tablishment. The engine is estimated at 20 horse 
power, and of Evans' patent, except the condenser, 
which the proprietors hav^e abaudoned,as being attended 
u ith a degree of trouble and expense altogether dis- 
proportionate to its advantage. In place of this, th-jy 
pour on the waste steam a current of cold water, which 
becoming instantly lieatcd, is employed to replenish tl.o 
boilers. Tlie Steam Mill Company, and Cincicnati 
Manufacturing Company, have adopted the same alter- 
ation, with great success. 

There arc four cotton spinning establishments, mnst 
of them small. The whole contain upwards of 12C0 
spindles, which are moved by horses. Wool cardin^^ is 
performed in several places ; and an extensive woolen 
niauufiictory, designed and calculated to yield 60 yards 
of broad cloth per day, will be in operation the ensuing 
winter. It is owned by the Cincinnati Manufacturing 
Company. The maeliiaery is driven by a.n engine of 
20 horse power. The products of the loom at this place 
have not been great ; but several handsome pieces of 
carpeting, diaper, plaid, denim and other cotton fabrics, 
deserve to be mentioned. ■ Cables, the various kinds of 
small cordage and spun yarn, are made in two extensive 
N 



146 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

ropevvalks. The latter has for some years been an ar- 
ticle of exportation. AVooI hats are not manufactured 
here ; but fur hats, of a good quality, are made in such 
quantities, as to give a surplus for exportation to the 
Mississippi, where they are exchanged for peltry. The 
tanning and currying of leather is carried on at six tan 
yards in this place and its vicinity; and the manufac- 
ture of shoes, boots and saddlery, is extensive. Skin- 
dressing in alum is executed with neatness. Trunks 
covered with deer skin and oil cloth, leather gloves, 
and a great variety of brushes, are made, of a good 
quality. Blank books, and all kinds of common and 
extra binding, are executed with neatness. 

The Cincinnati Manufacturing Company have em- 
braced in their plan, manufactories of white and red 
lead, of such extent as will yield six or seven tons per 
week. The latter is not yet completed ; but the former, 
which is the third that has been erected between 
the Mississippi and the mountains, is in operation, and 
produces white lead of an excellent quality. It^iust 
indeed be superior to that brought from the Atlantic 
states, as it has no mixture of whiting, with which the 
imported white lead is always alloyed.* Arrangements 
for a sugar refinery were made early in the present year; 
the buildings have been commenced, and the establish- 
ment will be in operation in a few weeks. Tobacco and 
snuff are manufactured in four different shops. Pot and 
pearl ash, soap of various kinds, and candles, are made 
in such quantities as to give a large surplus for export- 
ation. 

• See Cooper's Emporium of Arts and Sciences. 



PICTURE OF GIN^CINNATI. 147 

«> 

The recliPiCatian of spirit and distiJlation of cordials, 
are prosecuted to such a degree as to give an ample 
supply of the latter for domestic use. But these esta- 
blishments, hoth in extent and utility, are eclipsed by 
our breweries. The first was erected on the river bank, 
in the lower part of the town, four years ago, and uses 
the river water ; the other was established since, on a 
smaller scale, and derives its water from wells and 
cisterns. The two are calculated to consume annually 
80.000 bushels of barley. Their products are beer, 
porter and ale, of a quality at least eqiial to that of the 
Atlantic states. Ijarge qiianiities have been exported 
to the Mississippi, even as far as New-Orleans, the 
climate of which they are found to bear very weU. 

The manufacture of fiour, at the steam mill, Mill be 
carried on to a great extent. The machinery is all on 
the plan of Oliver Evans, and driven by an engine of 
70 horse power. Four pair of six feet burr stones will 
be run. Two pair have been in motion for several 
months, and produce about 60 barrels of j3our per day; 
(he whole when in operation will, it is expected, afford 
700 barrels a week. The flour is generally of a superior 
quality. 

In the year I8i4 a mustard manufactory was erected 
above the town ; but has not yet got into such extensive 
operation as to supersede the importation of that article. 

In the fine arts we have not any thing to boast ; but 
it is wortby of being mentioned, that all kinds of label- 
ing, sign and ornamental painting, together with the 
en:^raving on copper of oflicial and other seals, cards 
of address, and vignettes, is executed with taste and 
elegance. 



14S PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

COMMERCE. 

Vessels. Flat bottomc'd boats, keel boats aiul barges, 
are the vessels in which the commerce of this place has 
hitherto been carried on. The first will long coiilinue 
to be employ ej] in trai2S|iortij]!^ heavy articles down the 
Ohio; but the latter, it is probable, Mill be in a great 
degree superseded by steam boats; oi* which two kinds 
are coming into use on the western M'liters. From these 
inventions the people on this river aiiticlpate many sub- 
stantial advantages ; more, perhaps, than '?i iil be reali- 
zed ; but ali mnst admit, t!;at no country on €ar(h, 
equally fertile with this, can be more benefited by such 
boats. TJie reduction of the voyage from New-Orleans 
to Cincinnati from a hundred, to thirty days, is equiva- 
lent to an approximation of the two places, or to the 
anriihilation of two thirds of the distance; and super- 
adds to the security and abtsndance of a tempei'ate in-? 
terior region, tlie productions of the south, and of all 
for«;igii lands. 

Exports. Of these, iiour is the chief article, and 
several thousand barrels are annually exported from 
the Miami country to New-Orleans. After this follow 
pork, bacon and lard ; whiskey, peach brandy, beer and 
porter: pot and pearl ash, cheese, soap and candles; 
hemp and spun yarn ; m alnnt, cherry and blue ash 
hoards ; cabinet uirnitsire and chairs ; to which miodit 
he advantap;eoii&ly added, kiln dried Indian meal, fur 
the West Indies. 

Imports. The different kinds of East Indian, Euro- 
pean and New-Sn^^land goods, with several manufac- 
tures of the middle states, are received from Philadel- 
phia and Baltimore, but chieHy from the former. It is 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 149 

Bol difficult to foresee, however, that al no distaiU time 
the ingress of* foreign merchandise will be through 
other channeN. A portage of three hundred miles, over 
high and rugged mountains, must at all times be more 
expensiv^e than aseeuding a navigable river five times 
the distance. Whenever the General Government shall 
complete the road from, the navigable waters of the 
Potomac to those of the Ohio, (he expense of transporta- 
tion by land will be so far reduced, that factories and 
otJier mercantile houses, will perhaps at no distant 
period be established on the former of these rivers. 
Should New-York execute the canal which it has pro- 
jected, the metropolis of that flourishing state will 
probably become one of our inlets for foreign goods. 
But the great emporium of the western country in fu- 
ture must be New-Orleans. To effect this change in 
the current of importation, but three things are neces- 
sary — more extensive and wealthy mercantile houses in 
tliatcity ; an improvement in the navigation of the Ohio 
at the Falls 5 and an increased number of steam boats. 
Even under exifeting circumstances, many articles are 
brought from thence at a lower price than from the 
eastern cities 5 of vvhich coffee, salt fish, claret and some 
other wines, copperas, queensware, paints, mahogany 
and logwood, may be cited as examples. In addition tt> 
these, we obtain from the stale of Louisiana, of its 
productions, sugar and melasses, cotton, rice, salted 
hides, and some other articles. 

Our imports from the Missouri Territory are lead, 
peltry and skins — from Tennessee and Kentucky, cot- 
ton, tobacco, salt petre and marble — from Pennsylvania 
and Yir^iuia, bar, rolled and cast iron, with several of 
N3 



150 PICTURE OF CIN^CINNATI. 

the maniiFaetures of that metal ; millstones, coal, salt, 
glassware, pine timber and plank. Castings of an ex- 
cellent quality are broiij^ht from Zanesville and Brush- 
creek, in this state. And furs are obtained from the 
waters of the Great Miami, Wabash and Maumee. 

The goods brought for consumption in this quarter 
are kept in more than seventy shops. Of these about 
sixty contain dry goods, hard, glass and queens uares, 
liquors and groceries. The others are stores for iron, 
shoes and drugs. 

Cincinnati was made a port of entry in 180S, but the 
business of building ships having been discontinued on 
the Ohio, no vessel has yet cleared from this place. 

BANKS. 

Miami Exporting Company. This is the oldest 
banking institution in the Miami country, being incor- 
porated in 1803 for forty years. The original ohjtet 
of the company was the exportation of agricultural 
produce to New-Orleans; but the charter permitting 
issues of bank paper, an otHce for that purpose was 
opened in this place, and on the 1st of March 1S07, the 
bank went into full operation, all commercial projects 
having been previously relinquished. The capital is 
divided into shares of giOO, and ^150^000 have been 
paid in by one hundred and ninety persons, the present 
number of shareholders. The aftairs of the company 
are managed by eleven Directors, chosen annually, one 
of whom is elected President. The reputation and 
notoriety of this institution are equal to that of any 
bank in the western country ; and its dividends corres- 
pond, having for several years fluctuated between lO 



PICTURE OF CINCINNVTI. 151 

RR(1 15 per cent. Oliver M. Spencer and Samuel C. 
ViiJice lire the President and Casliier. 

Fakmers' & Mechanics' Bank. This was esta- 
blished in the year 1812, and incorporated in 1813 for 
five years ; at the expiration of which time the charters 
of all the banks in the state, excejjt the Miami Export- 
ing; Company, will expire. The shares are S50 each, 
and the amount of capital as prescribed in the law 
S 200,000. Tlie numbc,- of Directors is thirteen ; one- 
third of whom must be practical farmers, and tJie same 
proportion practical mechanics. The President is 
elected out of their own body. The paper of tliis insti- 
tution has acquired an extensive circulation, and its 
dividends have varied from 8 to i-i per cent. The 
officers are William Irwin, President, and Samuel W, 
Davies, Cashier. 

Bank of Cl^clNNATI. This was founded in 1814, 
and made its first issues of paper in the month of June 
©f that year. Its shares are S50 each. Eight thousand 
eisjiit liundred have been sold, to three, hundred and 
forty-five persons. 8140,000 have been paid in. It 
lias not yet been chartered, and is governed by twelve 
Directors, chosen annually, one of whom is declared 
President. Its notes are in excellent credit ; and the 
dividends, for a new institution, very good— having 
advanced during the first year from six to eight per 
cent. The President is Ethan Stone; Cashier^Lot 
Vush. 



d^« PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

The first iiowspaper printed north of the Oliio river, 
and the third or fourth west of the mountains, was 
issued at tliis place November the 9th, 1793. by Wil- 
liam Miixwell. It was on a luilf sheet royal of quarto 
size. l(s name was The Centinel of the North- 
Western Terhitory — its motto, Open to all parties^ 
but uijluenced by none. In the summer of 17U6, Edmund 
Freeman purchased theestabK^hment, and changed the 
name of the paper to the Freeman's Journal, under 
which he continued it till the begiuning of 1800, when 
he removed to Chillicothe. 

On the 2Sth of May I7d9, Joseph Carpenter issued 
the first number of a paper entitled The Western Spy 
& Hamilton Gazet i e, which was continued by various 
editors ibr ten years. The name was then changed by 
Messrs. Carney £c Morgan to The Whig; 58 numbers 
of which were publislied — wlien it passed into other 
liands, and had its tille alt-red to The Advertiser, 
under which it was continued till November ISil, when 
it expired. 

In September 1810, Mr. Carpenter re-commenced 
The NVestern SrY,w!iich has been regu!?irly publish- 
ed ever since. At present it is of a super royal size, 
has about 1200 subscribers, and is edited by Messrs. 
Morgan &g Williams. 

A paper called Liberty Hall and Cincinnati 
Mercury, was established in laotby Jolin W. Browne. 
The first number came out on the ith day of December. 
Its present editors are Messrs. Looker Sc Wallace, who 
prim i( of a super royal size, and have upwards of HOC 
subscribers. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 153 

111 the month of July 1814, a paper entitled the 
Spirit of the West was eommeueed ; but continued 
only for 11 numbers. On the i:>th of July 1815, the 
first number of the Cincinnati Gazette was issued 
by Thomas Pcilnier & Co. 

None but weekly papers have yet been published here. 
Tlie oiiices of Liberty Hall and The \Yestern Spy have 
each an extra press, for book printing, w]i3:'i is ex.ecu- 
ted with accuracy and neatness. Ten years ago, there 
had nat been printed, in this place a single volume; 
but since the year ISil, twelve diiferent hooks, besides 
many pamphlets, have been executed. These works, 
it is true, were of moderate si^ze ; but they were hound, 
and averaged more tlian 200 pages each. The paper 
used in these oftiees v^as formerly brought from Fenu-- 
sylviinia, afterwards from Kentucky, but at present from 
the new and valuable paper mills on the Little Miami. 

POST OFFICE. 

As furnishing data for estimating the stale of political 
curiosity and information, this oliice is worthy of notice. 
The number of mails that arrive every week is nine; 
by which are bronglit for distribution in the town about 
seventy different papers, making three hundred & fifty 
sheets. Besides these, a great number of papers and 
documents, franked by members of Congress, and most 
of the eastern periodical Vvorks, are received through 
the same channel. 

The office was established in 1T93. Abner Dunn 
was the first post master; and his ?necessors have been 
AViniam Maxwe!!, Daniel Mayo, William Ruflin, and 
William Burke, who at present holds the office. 



45i • PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

EDUCATION. 
One tliirty- sixth part of the state of Ohio has been 
granted by tbe General Government for the support of 
schools; besides two or three townships for college 
education. Of these donations our legislature is the 
guardian, and has enacted several laws respecting 
them. In most parts of the state, the 16th, which is 
o:ie of the four central sections in each township as ori- 
ginally surveyed, is the one assigned for this purpose. 
This is the case in the Miami country. In each town- 
ship there have been, or should be elected, three trus- 
tees and a treasurer, who possess corporate powers as it 
respects the school section ; which it is their duty to 
lease out to diflerent persons, for periods of 15 years, 
and to divide the rents among the schools of the town- 
ship, according to their relative number of scholars. 
What advantage the peoj)Ie of the adjoining country 
have derived from these donations, I ara not prepared 
to state. To the inhabitants of this place they could 
he of no benefit, as the township of Cincinnati is frac- 
tional, and does not inc'ude the section numbered IG. 
The proprietors of the town must have known this, but 
they made no donation for the support of education, not 
even a site for a school house. The business of tuition 
was therefore generally conducted by strangers, and 
transient teachers, in rented rooms, till the year 1811 ; 
Avhen it'll or twelve individuals punhased a small lot, 
erected a couple of school houses, and eRiplojed two or 
three teachers ; but notwithstanding tl.eir laudable ex- 
ertions, this academy has not fiourished, and is likely 
soon to be superseded by an institution, of which 1 will 
BOW proceed to give some account. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 155 

Cincinnati Lancaster- Seminary. A prnjeet for estab- 
lishing in Cincinnati a school on the plan of Joseph 
Lancaster, of Great Britain, was agitated more than 
three years af^o, by the reverend Joshua L. Wilson, to 
whom a teacher residini^* in the Atlantic states had 
written on this subject. Nothing, however, was done 
at that time; and early in the year 1814, Edmund Har- 
rison, of the state of Tennessee, who had been instructed 
by one of the pupils of Lancaster, came to this place 
and proposed to the ]\Iethodist Episcopal Church, of 
which he is a member, to undertake a school on the 
Laneasterian plan. His proposition was readily ac- 
cepted by that public spirited body, and tlie reverend 
Oliver M. Spencer drew up a body of articles for the 
governmer.t of the association, under v.'hich the school 
w as to be organised. In these articles, no provision 
was made for instruction in the higher branches of 
literature; and a majority of the trustees, it was de- 
clared, should be at all times members of that church. 
Exception being taken by some persons both to this pro- 
vision and defect, a modification was proposed. This, 
after some negotiation, failed ; and a rival institution 
was formed, under the name of the Cincinnati Lancas- 
ter- Seminary. By the mediation of the teacher, the 
two schools, not long after, were united under the same 
articles, and in the ensuing winter a law of incorpora- 
tion was obtained. The monies subscribed in 1S14 for 
the benefit of the seminary, amounted to nearly S9000, 
payable in shares of S23 each. Since the commence- 
ment of the present year, about S3000 more have been 
contributed ; and the Banks of the town, with a lauda- 
ble desire for the promotion of learning, have agreed to 



136 PICTURE OF CINCINiXATI. 

loan to the institution, on an extended credit, the sums 
necessary for the completion of its ediiice. A suitable 
site for the building became a desideratum, but this was 
soon supplied by the Presbyterian congregation, which 
in the true spirit of christian benevolence, executed to 
tlie Directors of the seminary a lease fur 99 years, of 
the ground on wliicli the building is erected, withcjut any 
other compensation than the privilege of selecting an- 
nually for instruction, 2S poor children, to be eonsideretl 
as charity scholars. By the charter and by-laws, the 
seminary consists of a Junior and a Senior department, 
each subdivided into a male and a female school. The 
Junior department to be organised on the plan of Joseph 
Lancaster ; and the Senior aceording to such plans, and 
under such teachers and proftissors as the Board of 
Directors may choose. The surphis revenue from the 
Junior tlcpartmcnt, after defraying its expenses, and de- 
ducting the tuition of those vvho may be considered as 
ohjeets of charity, is to be applied to the purchase of 
books and philosophical apparatus for the Senior de- 
partment. The price of schooling in the former is.rcduce<l 
to eight dollars a year ; and in addition to the charities 
already mentioned, it is provided that if a shareholder 
upon dying, shall leave his children without the means 
of purchasing an education, they shall be entitled to a 
regular course of instruction in the lower department. 
The institution is governed by seven Directors, elected 
annually by the sharehohlers. These Directors may 
be of any, or of no religious society ; they elect a Pre- 
sident from their own body, and have the exclusive ma- 
nagement of all the pecuniary and literary concerns. 
Jacob Burnet has becnPresidentfrom the commencement. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. ±5f 

On the 17th of April 1815, one of the lower rooms 
being completed, a school composed of children of both 
sexes, was opened, and in less than a fortnight 420 were 
admitted ; when the apartment being sufticieutlj filled, 
many subsequent applicants were rejected. By the 
indefatigable exertions of the teacher, order and method 
were at length introduced, and the proficiency of the 
scholars has equalled all reasonable expectation. A 
second school, on the same plan, for females only, has 
just been commenced, and promises to be well filled. 

The Board of Directors, by a late resolution, have 
decreed the establishment of a school for children of 
color, in a separa^'e house ; but no teacher has yet been 
procured. 

Cincinnati University. In the year 1806, a school 
association was formed in this place, and in 1807 it 
was incorporated. Its endowments were not exactly 
correspondent to its elevated title, consisting only of 
moderate contributions ; and an application was made 
to the legislature for permission to raise money by a 
lottery, which was granted. A scheme was formed, 
and great part of the tickets sold: they have, however, 
not been drawn, and but little of the money which they 
brought refunded. On Sunday the 28th of May ISODy 
the school house erected by the corporation was blown 
down; since which it has become extinct. 

J^Iiami University. In the year 1809 the legislature 
of this state, which by an ordinance of the General 
Government holds the school and college lands in trust, 
enacted a law creating and incorporating the Miami 
University, . By this act, the Governor was authorised 
O 



158 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

to appoint tliree eommissioners to fix on the site of the 
institution ; and Lebanon Mas selected. The succeed- 
ing legislature revoked this decision, and by a liberal, 
if not an unwarrantable construction of its powers, re- 
moved the site of the edifice to the land with which the 
college is endowed, lying, as we have seen, west of the 
Great Miami, and beyond the limits of Symmes' pur- 
chase. By the same disastrous law, the Trustees were 
directed to lay ofi' a town, which was of course named 
Oxford, and to sell out on leases as much of the town- 
sliip as they should consider expedient; all of which 
was so amply performed, that in less than two years 
nearly one-third of this valuable endowment was dispo- 
sed of, on terms which will not yield a revenue adequate 
to the support of a grammar school ! It m as however to 
bei reduced still lower; and a succeeding legislature 
passed a law exempting for a number of years those 
purchasers who might become actual settlers before the 
year 1816, from the payment of a large proportion of 
their annual rents. 

Previous to this, as if sagaciously anticipating a de- 
falcation, and with the laudable ambition of erecting 
on the ruins of the wigwam an edifice devoted to litera- 
ture and the sciences, the Trustees appointed John W. 
Browne, minister of the gospel, to solicit alms. The 
reverend missionary set out, and after two years of de- 
vious and thorough travelling in the East, returned 
richly freighted with more than four hundred dollars in 
cash, besides a ponderous cargo of venerable volumes; 
great part of which, as being obsolete, worn out, or 
otherwise unworthy of preservation for a college library, 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 159 

the present directors have wisely ordered to be sold at 
auction.* 

lathe year 18 t4.the Trustees authorised the purchase 
of a quantity of buihlinj^ materials, and contracts were 
accordingly made for brick and timber; but their suc- 
cessors finding the treasury almost empty, and calcula- 
ting that tlie annual revenues for many years would not 
be adequate to tlie completion of a building, liavc sus- 
pended further purchases. 

Such are the progress and present state of this insti- 
tution, in the history of \Thich i have been tlie more 
explicit, on account of the erroneous information which 
has gone abroad respecting it. That it will attain to the 
rank of a second rate college, in the course of the pre- 
sent century, where it is now fixed, no well informed 
person has the courage to predict. The general opinion 
13, that both the interests of the seminary, and common 
justice to the people for whose benefit it was expressly 
designed, require its restoration to Symmes' purchase; 
where the funds necessary to the erection of suitable 
edifices could be promptly raised by subscription; and 
a college organised in time to benefit the rising genera- 
tion. Whether this will be done, depends on the v»isdum 
of future lea'islatures. 



&' 



* In justice to several members of the Board, it should be 
observed, that they were opposed to inflicting on their infant 
seminary the stigma of mendicity. They moreover believed, 
that the people of the United States had, tliroui^h their p^overn- 
ment, mude such donations in land for the support of education 
in this state, as should exempt them frosn applications for cha- 
rity. 



16« PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

LIBRARY. 
It was not until the year 1S09 that any efforts were 
made towards the establishment of a public library in 
tliis place. A petition was then forwarded to the legis- 
lature of the state for a law of incorporation, but it 
proved iinsuceessful. In the summer of 1811, a paper 
w as circulated by Judge Turner, wlio obtained subscrip- 
tions for several hundred dollars. A meeting of the 
shareholders was held, and a constitution adopted, which 
they ordered to be sent on to the next legislature as the 
basis of a charter for the society. This was not done 
till a subsequent session, when a law incorporating the 
association under the name of the Circulating Libra- 
ry Society OF Cincinnati, was enacted. Owing to 
various causes, however, the library was not opened 
until April 18 14-. Since that time, a second and 
more perfect charter has been obtained, and the insti- 
tution is at present in a flourishing state. It has about 
800 volumes, which are arranged under the following 
heads : — Arts and Sciences — Belles Lettres and Rhetoric 
— Biography — Botamj^ Chemistry and Medicine-^ 
Drama — Education — Geo_^raphy — History — Law-^- 
Metaphysics and Moral Fhilosophif — JVatural History — 
J\*aliiral Thilosop]iy—^-JS''ovels — Philology— ^-Poetry — 
Fdllics- — Theoh^y-^'Veterinary Jlrt — Voyages and 
Travels — Miscellanies, and continued Periodical Works. 
Among the more valuable scientific books, are Rees^ 
Cyclopmdia and Wilson^s Ornithology, About 60 vo- 
lumes have been received as donations. The afl[\iirs of 
the society are managed by seven Directors, elected 
annually, one of whom is designated as President. The 
library is kept open one day in each week. 



PICTURE 0? CINCINNATI. 161 

SCHOOL OF LITERATURE AND THE ARTS. 
This is an association for literary a?id scientific im- 
provement ; composed chiefly of young men, Avho formed 
themselves into a society in 1813, and elected Josiah 
Mei-^s, an accomplished scholar, their first President.* 
Their constitution provides for frequent meetings, at 
which llie exercises are of three kinds; a lecture from 
tlie President — an essay from one of the members — and 
a poetical recitation from another. On ihe2Si] of No- 
vember ISl-i, the school held its first aniuversary meet- 
ing, at winch an oration was delivered by appointment. 
From this discourse, it appears that many interesting 
K'ctures and essays have been delivered, and that the 
infant institution is probably the germ of a permanent 
and respectable society. 

RELIGION. 
First Fresbifterictn Society. Tliis is (he oldest reli- 
gious society of the to-wn, having been ccnslituted, by 
the reverend David Rice, as early as 1791. Its minis- 
ters have been the reverend messieurs James Kemper, 

Arthurs, Peter Wilson, Matthew G. Wallace, 

John Davies, and Josluia L. Wilson, the present pastor. 
In 1S07 the church was incorporated, with the style and 
title of the Fii'vST FaEsiiYTEuiAN Society. In 1808,, 
when Mr. Wilson commenced his miuisterial labors, 
the number of eommanicanls was nearly 80 — at 
present it is about 160. As early as the year if^2 or 'd,. 

* This gentleman was at tliat time Surveyor General of the 
United States ; but is now Commissioner of the Gtnerul Landi 
Ofilce, at Washington City. 

02 



1G2 PICTURE OF CINCIKNATI. 

the congregation erected alioiise of vvorsliip, wliieli lias 
sorvetl (Iiem ever since. In the year 1812 they ohtaiued 
an exfensive subscription for a new house, ^vhich is uot 
yet completed. 

The only public cemetery ^vhicll the town has had at 
any time, belongs to tliis society. In the year 1810, 
the grave yard attached to their meeting house being 
nearly fiHed, the congregation purchased a four acre 
ru'i-laf, which they have generously pcrBiittcd the pub- 
lic to use as a place of sepulture. 

In 1812 a few of the female members of this congre- 
gation assembled at stated periods, for prayer and reli- 
gious conversation. In 1814 they formed the design of 
associating for other objects, avid adopted a constitution, 
denominating themselves The Cincinnati Feviale Society 
for ChaHtable Purposes. Their funds are raised by an- 
nual subscriptions, by donations, and by charity ser- 
mons, preached quarterly, according to their appoint- 
ment. Within the last year they have appropriated a 
sum of money to the support of a mission in Louisiana j 
another to the ssipport of the Theological Seminary at 
Princeton, New-Jersey ; and a third to the purchase of 
bibles for gratuitous distribution ; besides affording re- 
lief to several indigent individuals of their own sex. 
The number of members is about forty. 

McihodlF.t Episcopal Church. This religious society 
vas founded in the year 1804, when it only contained 
ten members : in the present year the number is about 
400 ! with a large congregation, and several local 
preachers. Th% meeting house was erected by subscrip- 
tion in the years 1805 and '6 ; and has, attached to it, 
a saiall cemeterv. This house has several times been 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 163 

tlie seat of the annual Ohio Conference, >vLieh takes in 
a part of Kentucky antl the Indiana Territory. 

First Baptist Church. This was constituted in De- 
cember 1813, when it had but eleven members. Since 
that time they liave increased to more than tliirty. and 
the congregation has been augmented in a corresponding 
tlegree. Tlie first baptism by immersion ever performed 
in this town, was in the summer of IS 14. By the 
liberality of general Gano, the church has become pos- 
sessed of a lot in Sixth-street. In the spring of 181* 
a subscription was circulated, and a sufficient sum ob- 
tiii ned to warrant the commencement of a house of wor- 
ship, which was opened on Sunday the 2d of July last, 
by the reverend Alexander Dennislon, the present pas- 
tor. This society is without any burying ground, the 
lot en which their building is erected being too sai'.iU 
to serve as a place of interment. 

In the Baptist congregation at this place tliere is a 
Male and a Female Society for the support of Foreign 
Missions. Their contributions are annually remitted to 
Philadelphia, and pass into the treasury of The General 
Missionary Convention of the Baptist Denomination in 
the United States of Jimerica for Foreign wMissions^ 
whose efforts are chiefly directed to India. 

Society of Frimds. Until 1813, but few of this sect 
had immigrated to Cincinnati. During tliat year, 
several families arrived from the interior of the 
Miami country, from Virginia, Nantucket and some 
other places ; and purchased a lot ia the western part 
of the town, on which was a small house, that has been 
enlarged and fitted up tor a place of worship. Early 
ia the ensuing year, a Preparative Meeting for disci- 



464 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

pline was opened, by direction of ihQ Waynesville 
^Monthly Meeting, and in a year afterwards a meeting 
of llie latler kind was appointed. Tliere are {ive 
Qnarterly Meetings, which constitute the Ohio Yearly 
Meeting. They are named Miami, West-Branch, 
Fairfield, Salem and Redstone. The Yearly Meeting 
is held near Mount Pleasant, on Short- creek, in thia 
state.. The Cincinnati Monthly ^Meeting consists of 
about 32 families. It is without a cemetery, tlie ground 
appertaining to the meeting house being too small for 
that purpose. 

Lutheran SGcletf/. The Gcrraa.n inhiiuitants of this- 
place, who are chiefly Lutlierans and Presbyterians, 
were united into a congregation in IS 14. Its name is- 
the Lutheran Society : its pastor tlic reverend Joseph 
Zesline, lately of Pliiladelphia. They do not yet own, 
a house of worsliip ; but have regular sermons in the 
German and English languages every Sabbath. 



CINCINNATI MIAMI BICLE SOCIETY. 
This was instituted October llth, ISlt, by persons^ 
belonging to all thereligious denominations of the town. 
Its objeat is the distribution of the Scriptures among 
the poor of the Miami country; particularly those on 
the frontiers, who are, the society observes, by their 
local circuniSianees- peculiarly embarrassed in their 
religious interests. The institution may consist of any 
number of members, each one paying at least one dollar 
a year; or fifteen dollars in advance for membership 
during life. The society commenced its digtributioii& 
early iu the present year. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. ie3 

Its officers are a President, Vice President, Secretary, 
Steward and ten Directors. The President is the rev- 
erend Oliver M. Spencer. 

It deserves to be mentioned, as honorable to the cha- 
rity of our religious societies, and an example worthy 
of imitation, that they have reciprocally assisted each 
other in raising the funds necessary for the erection of 
their houses of worship. 

I have already stated, that the 2Gth section in each 
township of Symmes' patent was given by the General 
Government, for the support of religion. By the laws 
of this state, it was made the business of the Trustees 
of the school sections, to sell out the niinisterial sections 
on leases of 99 years, renewable fortver; and divide 
the annual rents among the regular christian churches, 
according to the number of their uiembers. How faith- 
fully this has been performed in the country, or v\hat 
revenue the churches have yet received frooi it, I can- 
not state. From the fractional section of this township, 
there has not yet been a divid'2rd ; but some mouie for 
that purpose are in the hands of the Treasurer. 

MASONIC LODGE. 
This was established as early as 1791, unfler a war- 
rant obtained from the Grand Lodge of Nv^'.Jersey, 
with the title of A^ova Ccesaria Harmony Lodge JSTo. 10. 
In 1806 it received a new charter from the Grand Lodge 
of Kentucky, under the name of the Cincinnati Lodge 
J\*o. 13 ; and in January 1813, this was superseded by 
another from the Grand Lodge of this state, in which 
the original appellation is restored, but the number 
was changed from ten to two The magnitude and 



166 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

respectability of the society, in the meantime, have un- 
dergone many changes. At present it consists of about 
80 members. It has no hall ; but owns a lot of ground 
at the north-east corner of Third and Walnut streets, 
the demise of the late William McMillan | and has in 
addition a respectable fund ia bank stock. 

*i Chapter of Jtoyal Arch Masons was established in 
this place about the year 1791, and flourished till ISOO, 
when, losing a number of memhers, it nearly suffered 
extinction. In 18 12 it was revived, and at this time is 
composed of forty persons. 

STATE OF SOCIETY. 

This cannot, of course, be pourtrayed with the same 
facility and exactness as in older communities. The 
people of the Miami country, may in part be charac- 
terised, as industrious, frugal, temperate, patriotic aiid 
religious; with as much intelligence, and more enter- 
prise, than the families from which they were detached. 

In Cincinnati the population is more compounded, 
and the constant addition of emigrants from numerous 
countries, in varying proportions, must for many years 
render nugatory all attempts at a faithful portraiture. 
There is no state in the Union which has not enriched 
our town with some of its more enterprising or restless 
citizens; nor a kingdom of the west of Europe whose 
adventurous or desperate exiles are not commingled 
with us. To Kentucky, and the states north of Virgi- 
nia — to Esigland, Ireland, Germany, Scotland, Franc© 
and Holland, we are most indebted. 

Among such a variety, but few points of coincidence 
are to be expected. Those which at present can ba 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 167 

perceived, are industry, temperance, morality, and love 
of gain. Willi a populaiiun governed by such habits 
and principles, the town must necessarily advance in 
improvements at a rapid rate. This, in turn, excites 
emulation, and precludes the idleness which generates 
prodigality and vice. Wealth is moreover preUy 
equally distributed, and tl^e prohibition ol' slavery dif- 
fuses labor — while the disproportionate immigration of 
young men, with the facility of obtaining susteuancCj 
leads to frequent and hasty marriages, and places many 
females in the situation of matrons, who would of ne- 
cessity be servants in older countries. The rich 
being thus compelled to labor, find but little time 
for indulgence in luxury and extravagance ; their os- 
tentation is restricted, and industry is made to become 
a characteristic virtue. 

It need scarcely be added, that we have as yet no 
epidemic amusements among us. Cards were fashiona- 
ble in town for several years after the Indian war that 
succeeded its settlement ; but it seems they have been 
since banished from the genteeler circles, and are har- 
bored only in the vulgar grogsliojj or the nocturnal 
gaming -room. Dancing is not infrequent among the 
wealthier classes ; but is never carried to excess. 
Theatrical exhibitions, both by amateurs and itinerants^ 
have occurred at intervals for a dozen years; and a 
society of young townsmen have lately erected a tem- 
porary wooden playhouse, in which they have them- 
selves performed. But as the tendency of their insti- 
tution to encourage strollers and engross time, has been 
deprecated by the more religious portion of our citizens; 
and as the members have failed to realise their antiei- 



168 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

pations, with regard to the accumulation of a fund for 
the relief of indigence, they will be likely soon to relin- 
quish the pursuit, and leave their stage and its trap- 
pings to some future votaries of Thespis. During the 
winter, select parties are frequently assembled ; at 
which the current amusements are social converse, 
singing and recitation — ^the latter of which has been 
lately predominant. Juvenile plays and diversions are 
sometimes resorted to ; which are generally such as 
promote a rational exercise of the mental faculties. 
Sleigh riding and skaiting are rarely enjoyed, on ac- 
count of the lightness and instability of the snow and 
ice. Sailing for pleasure on the Ohio is but seldom 
practised ; and riding out of town for recreation, on 
horseback or in carriages, is rather uncommon, for want 
of better roads. Evening walks are more habitual^ in 
which the river bank and adjacent hills — the Columbian 
garden — and the mound, at the west end, are the princi- 
pal resorts. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 169 



CHAPTER IV. 

POLITICAL TOPOGRAPHY. 

Some apology is perhaps necessary for imposing on 
the people of the Miami country the items compre- 
hended in the following chapter ; with nearly the 
whole of which they must he already acquainted. It is 
hoped, however, that they will excuse it, from the con- 
sideration that persons at a distance, who may contem- 
plate an emigration hither, will be gratified to know 
something of our political, as well as our social insti- 
tutions. 

POPULATION OF THE MIAMI COUNTRY. 

In the year 1790, this did not exceed 2000. In ISOO, 
it was about 15,000. In 1810, the single county of 
Hamilton, not embracing more than 500 square miles, 
had 15,204; and the Miami country, excluding that 
part which lies beyond the state line on the west, had 
about 70,000, or one-fourth of the population of the 
state. At present (August, 1815) it cannot be less 
in this district than 100,000 ; which is spread over 4000 
square miles, giving 25 for each mile. In 1810, the 
township of Springfield, in the interior of this county, 
had nearly 58 to each square mile ; and ceuW certainly 

P 



170 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

support many more; — and that the density of popula- 
tion over the whole tract, in ten years, will equal 50 
to each mile, is an expectation warranted by the gene- 
ral rate of increase since 1790 ; by the uniform fertility 
of our soil ; and by the subdivision and sale of our 
lands in tracts of 160, and even 80 acres — a regulation, 
which in the United States, is indispensable to a thick 
population. 

POPULATION OF THE TOWN. 

I have not been able to ascertain this, at an earlier 
period than 1810. It was then 2620, In the latter 
part of 1813, the Select Council made a census, which 
gave about 4000. From various estimates, it appears 
certain, that at the present time it is 6000 — nearly 10, 
on an average, to each dwelling house; a number, 
which no one, who examines the town, will pronounce 
to exceed the reality ; although it greatly transcend 
the limits which health and comfort would prescribe. 
In 1810, the males were to the females as one hundred 
to eighty-two and a half; and at the present time the 
disproportion is perhaps still greater — a striking con- 
trast with Rhode-Island, where the former are to the 
latter, as one hundred to nearly one hundred and five. 

NEGROES. 

By the ordinance of Congress, passed July 13, 1787, 
providing for the government and defining the princi- 
ples on which the people of the North-western Terri- 
tory, when divided into states, should form their consti- 
tutions, it is expressly declared that there shall be 
neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except for 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 171 

the punishment of crimes, unless with the consent of 
both the General Government and the people of the 
Territory, When the constitution of Ohio was formed, 
the prohibitory language of the ordinance was adopted, 
and slavery is forever excluded from this state. That 
the other Territories north-west of the Ohio will pursue 
the same course, there can be no doubt ; and hence (his 
fine river will acquire additional distinction in future, 
from being made the northern barrier to this execrable 
practice. 

Both the ordinance of Congress and the constitution 
of Ohio, guarantee the recovery of fugitive slaves; but 
by the decision of our courts, those brought hither are 
free from the moment of their arrival. By our consti- 
tution, white male inhabitants only^ enjoy the right of 
political suffrage : negroes are of course excluded from 
that privilege. By a statute enacted in 1804, and 
amended in 1807, free negroes are prohibited from set- 
tling in this state, without giving bond and security 
that neither they nor their children shall become public 
charges ; but as this provision is considered unconsti- 
tutional, it has, I believe, in no instance, been enforced, 
and we have all the black population which an unop- 
posed immigration could give. By the same laws, 
negroes and mulattoes are prohibited from giving tes- 
timony against white persons. Whether this be not 
unconstitutional, as well as the other, maybe doubted; 
hut it is generally carried into eflfect throughout the 
state. 

At the time of adopting our state constitution, it was 
predicted that we should be degraded by the free ne- 
groes of other states, and infested with their runaway 



irs PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

slaves — neither of which has yet been realized. Thft 
political distinction between the blacks and whites feeing 
abolished, the social, it was asserted, would suffer the 
same fate ; but experience has shown, that the contami- 
nating influence of slavery itself is most favorable to 
that dark effect. In no town of the state is there so 
^reat a proportion of black population, as in Cincin- 
nati, where in ISIO, it amounted only to 79, making 
about one-thirtieth of the whole. At present the num- 
ber of blacks and mulattoes does not exceed 200, count- 
ing all shades and ages. They are a thoughtless and 
good humored community, garrulous and profligate 5 
generally disinclined to laborious occupations, and 
prone to the performance of light and menial drudgery, 
A few exercise the humbler trades, and some appear to 
have formed a correct conception of tho objects and 
value of property, and are both industrious and econo- 
mical. A large proportion are reputed, and perhaps 
correctly, to practice petty thefts ; but no more than 
one individual has been punished corporally, by the 
Courts of justice, since the settlement of the town. 

MILITIA. 

The militia of Ohio are organized in divisions, bri- 
gades, regiments, battalions and companies. Those of 
Cincinnati compose an odd battalion, in the first brigade 
of the first division. They number about 800 ; and are 
divided into five companies, one of which is light in- 
fantry. The days for mustering and training are only 
two in spring, and four in autumn ; two of which are 
for officers alone — the discipline of the whole is «f 
course imperfect, w ithout any prospect of amendment. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 173 

SUPPORT OF THE POOR. 

No pauper is by law entitled to support from the 
township, without a residence of one year. The com- 
mon mode of maintaining those who are permanent char- 
ges, is to offer them annually to the lowest bidder. 
The funds for defraying this expense, and for the sup- 
port of poor generally, are raised by an annual tax on 
the same species of property tvhich is taxed for county 
purposes. 

With the design of extending charity to the needy, 
who in consequence of their recent arrival here can 
demand nothing from the overseers of the poor; and to 
those citizens who are, through misfortune, in want of 
temporary assistance, a number of charitable persons 
associated themselves in 1814, under the name of the 
Cincinnati Benevolent Society. They appointed two 
managers in each ward of the town, and by the volun- 
tary contribution of a respectable portion of the inha- 
bitants, a sum was obtained that has enabled the Society 
to dispense relief to a number of suffering immigrants. 
A part of the design, which will perhaps be hereafter 
executed, is the erection of a tvork house; where those 
who are unable entirely to support themselves, will 
find assistance, and be compelled to labor according to 
their abilities. Another important establishment by 
this Society, would be a Dispensary, for the relief iu 
sickness, of those families who in health do not require 
gratuitous assistance. 

CORPORATION. 

On the 1st of January 1803, Cincinnati was incor- 
porated by the Territorial Legislature, with the fol- 
P 2 



iri! PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

lowin* limits : viz. Mill-creek on the west; the town- 
ship line, which lies about one mile from the river, on 
the north; and the eastern boundary of fractional sec- 
tion No. 12, which extends nearly half a mile above the 
town platoon the east. On the lOth of January 1815, 
this law was superseded by another, which retained the 
same boundaries. By the latter, the town is divided 
by straight lines into four wards, in each of which three 
Trustees are elected for two years. When assembled 
for the first time, they appoint from their own body, 
out of the difterent wards, a Mayor, Recorder, Clerk 
and Treasurer. The powers delegated to tlie Town 
Council are, to pass and enforce such ordinances as may 
he necessary and proper for the health, safety, cleanli- 
ness, convenience, morals and good government of the 
town and its inhabitants. The tax which they have 
power to assess on real estate, cannot exceed one half 
per cent, annually, without a vote of their constituents. 
On all violations of the ordinances of the corporation, 
it is exclusively the duty of the Mayor to decide ; an 
appeal being had either to the Town Council or Court 
of Common Pleas, at the option of the person consider- 
ing himself aggrieved. The Mayor exercises, moreo- 
ver, the principal duties of a Justice of the Peace, 
within the limits of the corporation. 

TOWNSHIP OFFICERS. 

The boundaries of Cincinnati township are, on the 
east and north, the same with the corporation ; on the 
west it extends a few miles beyond Mill-crcek, until the 
northern boundary line touches the Ohio. lu each 
township of the state, there are annually elected three 



PICTURE OF CINCINN/VTI. ±76 

Trustees, and several subordinate officers ; whose dnty 
it is to assess and collect taxes for the snppart of the 
poor, repair and improve the roads and streets, select 
jurors, and generally to superintend the affairs of the 
township, 

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. 

These are three in number, ar«d are elected every 
third year. It is their duty to levy taxes for county 
purposes, to superintend the erection of public build- 
ings, and generally to manage the revenues, property 
and concerns of the county. 

recorder's office. 
In each county of our state, there is an office for re- 
cording deeds, mortgages, leases, town plats, and such 
other written artir-Ies as it is important to preserve,' 
A certified transcript cf any of these, is received in 
evidence the same as the original. The Recorder is 
appointed for seven years, by the court of Common 
Pleas. He receives no salary ; and his fees are deter- 
mined bj law. 

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 

These officers are elected for three years. They 
vary in number in each township, according to (he de- 
cision of the court of Common PIchs, In this township, 
they are generally three. In civil cases, the jurisdic- 
tion of a Justice extends to TO dollf.rs ; and by consent 
of parties, to giOO. In erimiijiii ea.^es, it is co-exten- 
sive with the county ; but his or.iy power, except in a 
few trivial offences, is to rccogiiize the culprit to ap- 
pear before a higher tribusjal. 



ire PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. 

In Cincinnati, which is the seat of justice for Hamil^ 
ton county, there is a session of this court every four 
months. It is composed of a President and three Asso- 
ciates, elected by the General Assembly for seven years. 
It has cognizance of all violations of the statutes of the 
state, whether civil or criminal, which are not punishable 
with death. In the last cases, the offender has his choice 
between this and the Supreme Court. It has also unli- 
mited appellate jurisdiction from the Justice's court, 
and may be selected as the court of appeals from the 
Mayor's decision. In these cases, its sentences are not 
liable to reversal. In all others, they may be set asid« 
by the following tribunal. 

SUPREME COURT. 

This is held annually, and is composed of three 
Judges, who visit every county in the state. They are 
elected for the same period with the last. The causes 
in this judicature are generally appeals from the court 
of Common Pleas 5 but it has original jurisdiction in 
all capital offences ; and in civil cases, where the mat- 
ter in dispute exceeds glOOO. It is a tribunal from 
which there is no appeal. 

The court of Common Pleas has jurisdiction in all 
cases cognizable by a court of Chancery, in which com- 
plete remedy cannot be had at law. The Supreme 
Court has original concurrent jurisdiction with the 
court of Common Pleas, where the title of land is in 
question, or the sum in controversy exceeds SlGOO ; and 
appellate chancery jurisdiction in all other case« cogni- 
zable by the court of Comm on Pleas. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. i^l 

ATTORNIES AND COUNSELLORS AT LAW. 

By our statutes, these are licensed only by the Su- 
preme Court ; before which they undergo an examina- 
tion. Certificates of moral character, and of a regular 
course of law studies, or of admission to practice else- 
where, are indispensable. No previous residence is 
necessary; but the applicant must satisfy the Court, 
by affidavit or oath, that he intends to reside in the 
state. 

CAPITAL PlTNISHMENTS. 

A penitentiary having been lately erected la Colum* 
BUS, the capital of our state, the whole code of criminal 
law has undergone revision. Heretofore, the number 
of capital ofteneti wai fivt. At present it i« but two, 
murder aufl treai^nn. At this place there have never 
been but two con ictions of this kind. They were both 
for murder, and within five years after the settlement 
of the town. One of the felons was pardoned, and the 
other executed. They were foreigners by birth, and 
the latter was attached to the army; but not in such a 
manner as to be tried by a military tribunal. 

POLITICAL IMPORTANCE. 

Ciftcinnati Mas the residence of the Governor of the 
North-western Territory from 1790 to 1800. In that 
year the seat of government was removed to Chillicothe, 
as being more central. 

In 1788 a wooden fort was erected here, which was 
garrisoned till 1802, and soon after erased. This was 
the key to a line of similar forts, extending quite to the 
Rapids of the Maumee 5 the whole %t which, except 



178 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Fort Wayne, were long since evacuated and burnt. 
For many years, therefore, Cincinnati has not been the 
site of any political or military establishment, and its 
position does not favor a prospect of any such distinc- 
tion in future. Of course, no part of its unexampled 
progress in population and improvement can be ascri- 
bed to political aids, which might hereafter be with- 
drawn ; but the whole has resulted from such natural 
and eommercid advantagesi m mnmi easil^r be trani- 
f<?rrid or destroyed. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. ±V9 



CHAPTER V. 

MEDICAL TOPOGRAPHY. 

Under fLis head it is proposed to communicate, as 
fully as possible, such information concerning our dis- 
eases, and such notices of the mineral springs \vithin 
our reach, as a person about to emigrate to the Western 
country would desire. 

Section i, FREVMLIJVG JDISEJSES. 

Of the diseases connected with climate, we have most 
of those which are common in the same latitudes, east 
of the Allegheuies. Some of them, however, are less 
violent and frequent here than there. Of this kind is 
the Pulmonary Consumjition ^ which, in the Atlantie 
cities, destroys from a fourth to a sixth of all who die 5 
while in this town, it produces not more than one-twen- 
tielh of the deaths. So favorable, indeed, is tliis place 
to those who are threatened with Consumption, that a 
migration to it from the Northern states might be ad- 
vantageously recommended, when this complaint is 
about commencing, or not very far advanced. The 
Pleurisy and Peripneumony occur every winter; but 
seldom prevail to any great extent. They are generally 



189 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

complicated with bilious affections ; which renders the 
treatment difficult, and makes the use of calomel, in 
most cases, absolutely necessary to a successful issue. 
The Croup is a formidable disease in this place, annu- 
ally carrying otFa number of children. Like the pre- 
ceding complaints, it is frequently attended with bilious 
symptoms; and occasionally shoHS itself in connexion 
with Cholera Infantum, forming a very dangerous com- 
bination. In general, it does not seem to be a worse 
malady here than in the East ; and I have never seen 
it of that malignant and epidemic character at Cincin- 
nati, which it exhibited in Virginia in 1799.* Colds 
and Catarrhs^ swelled tonsils, and other affections of the 
t/iroa*, produced by sudden changes of weather, occur 
here in the same manner as in the maritime states ; but 
do not appear to be so often followed by consumption. 
The premature decay of teeth, pains in the jaw, and 
tooth ache, frequent in all variable climates, are, it 
would seem, much less common here, than in some 
parts of New-England ; as Dr. Hazletine informs us, 
that they make about an eighth part of all the diseases 
incident to the people of the Province of Maine. Rheu- 
Quatism occurs ; but is not so frequent and formidable 
as in the Northern states. 

Of the diseases ascribed to the exhalations from pu- 
trefying animal and vegetable substances ; from allu- 
vial ground, and from ponds and marshes, we have 
perhaps the whole catalogue, with the exception of the, 
Yellow Fever of the Eastern cities. In the country,es- 
pecially along the water courses, Remitting and Inter' 

* See Medical and Physical Journal, vol. ii. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. ISl 

miiting Fevers, including *^gnie, prevail every autumn ; 
but are seldom malignant, and generally yield to the 
treatment elsewhere employed, if resorted to at an early 
period. In Cincinnati, the annual prevalence of these 
diseases is less certain, and the mild and malignant 
Typhus Fevers frequently supply their places, in the 
years 1809, 'iO and *11, these complaints were preva- 
lent here, v.ithoiit much intermission; but since that 
time they have been rare. 

The diseases to which immigrants are most liable, 
are bilious and t}phous fevers. This is especially the 
case with the natives of New-England and New-York, 
who in eomisig here undergo a change of climate greater 
than they seem generally to suppose. They should, 
therefore, endeavor to arrive in the ]\Iiami country 
late-in the autumn; and before the ensuing summer, 
place themselves in tlie most healthy situations which 
can be found. Those who intend to reside in the coun- 
try, should get on upland farms at an early period J 
those who prefer the town, should choose the eastera 
and northern portions, which are more exenjpt from 
noxious effiuvia; and, in the heat of summer and 
early autumn, expose themselves as little as possible, 
either to the evening air, or the noon day sua. 
With these precautions, and a strict regard to the pre- 
vention of what is denominated a bilious habit, very 
few will suffer an attack ; but w ithout such attention, 
a seasoning, as it is termed, will most likely be expe- 
rienced the first summer after an arrival from the 
North. In the second, whether the first be sickly or 
not, there is but little danger. 

Q 



±82 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Next to our fevers, are the different complaints of tha 
stomach and bowels. These prevail chiefly in the sum- 
mer, as in other parts of the United States, and precede 
the fevers which have been enumerated. The Cholera 
Infantum is commonly the first which occurs, and sets 
in with the earliest intense heat. Its greatest preva- 
lence is in June and July, when it frequently proves 
fatal, particularly in town. It sometimes destroys life 
in a few days; at other times the unfortunate little suf- 
ferer pines for several weeks, when he either dies, or is 
restored by the frosts of autumn. In the country this 
disease is less frequent, and so mild as not often to 
prove fatal. The Cholera Morbus occasionally pre- 
sents itself, at the seasons in which it is more or less 
prevalent over all the States. A few cases of Dysentery 
occur every summer ; and once in two or three years, it 
is epidemic. When this is the case, its prevalence is 
sometimes very general, but not often mortal. Now 
and then it assumes a malignant character ; when it is, 
for the most part, confined to a single family. Upon 
the whole, this disease appears to be less formidable in 
this country, than in the Atlantic states. On the head 
waters of the Great Miami, and in some of the adjoin- 
ing parts of Kentucky, a disease called by the people 
ih.^ Sick' stomach, ha^ prevailed more or less for several 
years. Its prominent symptoms are, a vomiting upon 
taking exercise, with chronic debility^ lassitude and 
soreness of the extremities. Sometimes it continues for 
months, in the same individual ; and frequently affects 
whole families. It is supposed to extend to horses, 
cows, sheep and dogs, varying in several of its symp- 
toms. It does not often prove fatal, and the people, 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 183 

where it is endemic, seem to have learned by experience 
an efficacious method of treatment. It has been ascri- 
bed to some noxious impregnation of the water ; to the 
use, by the animals whose milk and flesh are eaten, of 
some deleterious plant, and to marsh exhalation — the 
last of which is the most plausible. For two or three 
years past, its occurrence has been raore infrequent, and 
it cannot be regarded as constituting any serious objec- 
•^ tion to the districts in which it prevails. The Jaundice 
is a pretty eommon disease in this country ; but it sel- 
dom destroys life. Inflammation of the Ikver is met with 
occasionally, but not oftener than in the same latitudes 
of the maritime states. Sore-eyes (Ophthalmia) is a 
disease wbich now and then becoines epidemic over the 
whole of tbis country. It prevails most in the same 
situations where the a.^ue, and other forms of bilious 
fever abound ; and has therefore been referred to the 
same cause. It docs n©t arise from heat or dust, as it 
occurs oftenest in shady vallios ; nor from the smoke of 
autumn, as it precedes that phenomenon. It is less fre- 
quent than formerly, and will perhaps eeasewith those 
diseases which are acknowledged to depend on marsh 
exhalation. The Periodical head ach is a disorder 
which in this country is ascribed to the same cause, and 
can be cured in the samjB manner as ague and fever. 

Of (he diseases termed epidemic, the most frequent in 
the Miami country are the Measles SLud Hooping Cough, 
both of which have prevailed in Cincinnati every year 
or two, since 1800. They seldom affect a great num- 
ber at once, but make their attacks successively for 
many months, and do not often terminate fatally. The 
Mumps now and then occur, with no unusual symp- 



184 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

foms. The Small pox has not prevailed here to any 
extent for a dozen years. There is no institution for 
preserving and disseminating the vaccine virus; but a 
fi^reat number are annually vaccinated. The Scarlet 
Fever and Putrid Sore Throat have been of rare occur- 
rence. About the year 1792, they were prevalent in all 
the infiint settlements of the West, and produced many 
deaths. From that time till 1809, but few cases were 
observed at Cincinnati. In this and the two subsequent 
years, they appeared in an epidemic form, and destroyed 
a mimber of children. Since that period, but few eases 
have been seen, and those were of the mildest kind. 
The Influenza, so extensively prevalent in 1807, at- 
tacked the people of Cincinnati about the 1st of October, 
and disappeared in five weeks, leaving the town unu- 
sually healthy. Very few adults of either sex, but 
many children, escaped it. The number of deaths pro- 
duced by it was inconsiderable. The Consumption, 
however, followed in its train, and carried off several 
persons in the two ensuing years. Sincfe (his visita- 
tion, we have more than once experienced wide spread- 
ing Catarrhs, which vvere ascribed to changes of the 
weather; but it seems probable that they arose from 
the same causes with the Influenza. The Spotted Fever 
of the Northern states has never prevailed here ; but 
iU successor, the Ti/phoid Fneumony (vulgarly called 
ja this country the cold plague) affected a very consi- 
derable number in the winters of 1812-13 and 1813-14. 
In that of 1814-15, but ie^w cases were met with. 
More men, in proportion, than women or children, suf- 
fered ; and it generally attacked those who were most 
exposed to cold and moisture. It proved fatal in a 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 185 

number of eases ; but was, on the whole, productive of 
mueh less mortality than in the North. 

Eruptive diseases of the skin are common in the 
Miami country, and frequently prove obstinate. The 
Itch, and a breaking-out which nearly resembles that 
complaint, are the most common. These eruptions, 
however, exhibit a great variety of appearance, and 
are by the people ascribed to as many different causes. 
They seem to be more prevalent in the country, than the 
town. Worms are common, and affect children of every 
age, from one to fifteen years. They seldom prove 
fatal, unless combined with some other disease. The 
Goitre is an endemic of the western portions of Penn- 
sylvania, and the eastern part of this state; but is un- 
known here, except in persons who have immigrated 
while laboring under it. The Scrophiila, Rickets and 
Scurvy, especially the two latter, are rare diseases. 
Hysteria, Hypochondria and Insanity, are not uncom- 
mon. Dropsy of the brain is met with occasionally. 
Locked jaw is so rare, that but a single case has oc- 
curred here for many years. Jipoplexy is scarcely ever 
seen; but Epilepsy is more frequent. Dropsies otaxxT 
pretty often, but generally as the consequence of inter- 
mitting fever. The Gout and Calculus are seldom seen, 
and Palsies are infrequent. Cancers are uncommon ; 
and no case of Hydrophobia has occurred siuce the set- 
tlement of the town. Canine madness has not been 
epidemic for many years. The venomous snakes are so 
few, that even in the newer settlements a snake-bite is 
uncommon ; and in the neighborhood of Ciocinnati, 
almost unknovvn. The Coup de soliel, or stroke of the 
Q 2 



186 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

» sun ; and death from the use of cold water, are uot more 
frequent. Drowning in the Ohiu, is an accident which 
often happens, and one which we are entirely unpre- 
pared to remedy, not having the instruments necessary, 
either fjr the recovery of the immersed body, or the 
restoration of life. 

As no bills of mortality are kept in this place, it is 
not known what proportion die annually; what dis- 
ease* carry oft' the largest number ; or which of the sea- 
sons is attended with the greatest mortality — tho' the 
two latter may be estimated and expressed in general 
terms. The Cholera Infantum is more fatal to children 
than any other complaint. It is most destructive in the 
second summer; aggravated, no doubt, by teething, 
and the miscellaneous food with which children begin 
to be indulged at that age. Convulsions, in the first 
month after birth, carry off many; and should perhaps 
rank next to the Cholera Infantum in the number of 
their victims. After this follows the Croup, which for 
the most part attacks those between the ages of six 
months and two years. Of adults, the greatest number 
die with bilious and typhous fevers ; with pulmonary 
inflammation, and w ith afftctions of the liver, stomach 
and bowels. In the months of June and July, more 
children die than in any others. The greatest mortality 
among adults is generally in August, September and 
October. AVhen epidemics prevail, tfeis however is 
otherwise, and the midst of winter is now and then 
attended with a greater number of deaths than any 
other part of the year. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, isr 

SEctioN //, CJUSES OF DISEASE, 

CLIMATE. 

Neither the extreme cold, nor the extreme heat of this 
climate, appears to produce many diseases, by its direct 
operatioa. If seuivy, goitre and chilblains arise from 
cold, that of our climate is not sufficient to produce 
them. The extremities of those who are much exposed 
in winter, are occasionally frozen ; but there has been 
no instance of death from such exposure in this country. 
The most obvious effects of our hot weather are, oppres- 
sion and lassitude in the muscles, with a diminution of 
appetite — all of which disappear upon liie occurrence 
of a cool day, and are thereby distinguishable from 
similar affections produced Ijy marsh exhalation. Few 
persons escape these complaints; but those who have 
emigrated from higher latitudes are of course the great- 
est sufferers Some aged people, and a few valetudi- 
narians, enjoy better health in our hot, than cold wea- 
ther. Our children, during the great heats of summer, 
are liable to rashes, as thpy are popularly called— 
cutaneous efflorescences — which are troublesome, but 
not dangerous ; and disappear upon the first occurrence 
of cool weather. There is even reason to believe these 
affectiviie salutary, as they frequently appear on the 
healthiest children. Cholera Infantum is not produced 
by the direct action of heat on the system, but is so 
much agj?ravated by that cause, as to be generally in- 
curable duiing the period in which the thermometer 
fluctuates between 76 and 96 degrees. The variations 
of atmospheric temperature are a more potent cause of 



188 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

disease, than either extreme. But they may in a great 
degree be rendered harmless, by a careful adaptation of 
clothing, lodginsj and fire, to the change. This cause 
usually produces pleurisy, rheumatism and other in- 
flammations — colds, quinsies, croup, tooth ach, &e. 
uneombined with other complaints ; — but when the pre- 
vailing disease is a bilious or a typhous fever, it is com- 
monly found, that the affections produced by changes 
of the weather, partake largely of the symptoms of the 
epidemic. The best examples of this combination are 
afforded by the pleurisy and croup. Variations of tem- 
perature, particularly changes from heat to cold, are 
sometimes the exciting causes of intermitting and other 
fevers, produced by marsh exhalation. In all these 
cases, the presence of moisture renders the depression 
of temperature more injurious. To water, indeed, in 
the form of dew and fog, it is fashionable to ascribe 
much deleterious power 5 but there is reason, perhaps, 
to doubt the correctness of this hypothesis in all cases, 
when the temperature of the atmosphere is steady.-— 
Fogs and vapors are aiost abundant, where the decom- 
position of vegetable matter is greatest ; and to this 
operation should perhaps be attributed most of the dis- 
eases which are vulgarly ascribed to moisture. 

WATER. 

Throughout the Miami country. this is generally hard^ 
from holding in solution carbonate of Lime, muriate of 
soda, muriate of lime, and the ut ei* salts aff»;rded by a 
calcareous region. It is apt, therefore, to disagree with 
emigrants from a country, such as that east of the Alle- 
ghenies, where most of the springs afford soft water. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 189 

The complaints excited by this cause are for the most 
part transient ; and to the natives of the country, its 
waters are at salutary and pleasant, as those of the 
Atlantic states are to the inhabitants of that quarter. 
Our springs and wells cannot, therefore, be regarded 
as affording a beverage absolutely preju«*ieial to health, 
though it may operate injuriously on strangers for a 
shert period. 

MIASMATA. 

The Miami country in general being level? pomU and 
morasses are frequent ; eipeeially in the northern part. 
Most of them might be drained, and certainly will he, 
at some future period. In the meantime, their environ* 
must continue more or less infested with the diseases 
which i^pringfrom marsh effluvia; and therefore should 
not be selected for the residence of immigrants, Most 
«f our vallies contain large quanties of alluvion, depo- 
sited at various antecedent periods 5 but whether from 
these tracts there be any exhalations still arising,which 
are noxious, is doubtful. The more obvious sources of 
miasmata, are the marshes formed in these tracts from 
the annual inundation of their lower portions ; and the 
decaying remains of animals and vegetables deposited 
in the shores of the streams which flow through them. 
Whatever may be the truth on this point, it is certain 
that the valiies are less healthy than the uplands ; but 
from clearing and cultivation, they are annually beco- 
ming more salubrious. With respect to Cincinnati, the 
sources of miasmata may be divided into those w Inch 
are natural, and those which are artificial ; or in other 
words, into sueh as are common to it, and other towns 



l&o PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

on the river, and such as are peculiar, and of oUr owe 
creation. Of the former, we have but two — the drowned 
lands at the mouth of Mill -creek ; and the river heach 
opposite the town. The former lie so far to the west, 
and are so much disconnected with the town by an inter- 
vening forest, that our summer winds but seldom blow 
their exhalations over us. Hence very litlle agency 
can be ascribed to tliis cause. The latter is, peihaps, 
more efficient. The great depressions of the Ohio, in 
August and September, expose to the sun a quantity of 
mud, with trees and some animal matter, in a state of 
decay ; the exhalations from which are unquestionably 
prejudicial. The erection of the steam mill has aug- 
mented this cause ; by producing, in high floods, an 
eddy, which annually deposits on the beach, for a thou- 
sand feet along the front of the town, a large quantity 
cf filth and mud. Our artificial sources of disease ars 
incomparably more deleterious. For many years the 
descent of gravel along the streets which run from the 
upper to the lower table, has kept several of the inter- 
mediate lots in a state of partial inundation, and caused 
them to accumulate large quantities of filth. Further 
west, in the same tract, nearly all the bricks hitherto 
used, were manufactured; and the pits whence the 
clay was dug, have been constantly receiving, through 
the gutter in Second-street, nearly all the wash of the 
town. Thus have we improvidently created, in the, 
very midst of our population, the most offensive and 
destructive nuisances. Fortunately, the powers of the 
new Corporation enable them to compel the removal or 
abatement of the whole. The great purification has 
thus at lastbeencomn^eucedj and although its progress 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. I9l 

as yet has neither been creditable to the energy of the 
Corporation, honorable to the proprietors of those lots, 
nor beneficial to the public health, there is great reason 
to hope for relief at no remote period. When this sa- 
lutary object is accomplished, our publie sources of 
disease will be so few and inefficient, that we may 
without hesitation, expect to see Cincinnati approxi- 
mating in healthiness, the driest and most elevated si- 
tuationsj remote from the river. 



192 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Section in. JUIJVERAL SPRIA^GS. 

The Western country is abiiiidantly supplied 
with salines, or salt spririi^s. The richest and most co- 
pious are on the hank ot Great Kenhawa, in the western 
part of Virginia. Alonpj with the common salt, muriate 
of soday there is a large portion of the muriate of lime, 
as I have fr)und by examining the bittern or mother iva- 
ter, which siems to consist entirely of that salt. la 
various parts of Kentucky, salt .springs were long since 
discovered, and are friq lented by invalids. Several of 
them contain the sulvliales of soda, or magnesia, and a 
few aftbrd sulphurated hjdrogen gas. In the Indiana 
and Illinois Territories, and in this state, near the 
Auglaize and Sciota rivers, springs of a similar kind 
are known to exist. Cholyheate waters, consisting ge- 
nerally of oxide of iro.i, dissolved by the agency of 
jcarhonic acid, are almost as numerous. On the present 
occasion, we must confine ourselves to those which are 
situated within such a distance from Ciucinnati, as to 
be accessible to its valetudinarians. 

In the bed of Licking, within a mile of its month, 
when the river is low, several copious veins of chabjhe- 
ate water burst out, and have occasionally been resorted 
to by our citizens. In addition to th carbonate of iron, 
they contain the dift'erent salts common in the spring 
water of this region. They seem to be formed in the 
alluvial grounds which skirt the river, and may be 
mentioned as specimens of a numerous class of chalybe- 
ate springs, with which the alluvial formation abounds. 
The majority of them, however, are less copious than 
those under consideration. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 19S 

About two miles above the town, on the declivity of 
the hill, a well has been dug; in the loose clay and lime- 
stone, wliich have formerly been precipitated by th© 
undermining action of the current. The water of this 
well is moderately charged with suljjhiirated Injirogen 
gas, common salt, epsora or glauber salt and iron, with 
some useless ingredients. Its effect on the system is 
that of a cathartic; and from its chalybeate proper^ 
ties in addition, it will unquestionably be found a valua- 
ble water. The proprietor intends, by the ensuing 
summer to make it a ivatering place ; for which its 
topographical situation is highly agreeable. The road 
leading to it from Cincinnati, lies along the river bank, 
and its site is healthy, well ventilated, cool, and com- 
mands a view of the vallies of l^icking and the Liitla 
Miami, which are seven miles asunder. In the vicinity 
of Northbend, marked Cleves cm the map of the Miami 
country, there is a spring of a similar kind ; but it is 
less higlily charged, with saline matter, and is without 
sulphur. 

The most noted watering place in the Miami country, 
is the Ykllow Spring, iu Green county, oi mile* 
from Cincinnati, and two from the Falls of the Little 
Miami. It is a copious vffin which bursts from a fis- 
sure in the silicious limestone rock ; and is, at the dis- 
tance of a few rods, precipitated into a ravine more 
than a hundred feet deep. On its passage thither, 
it has deposited an immense bank of brownish ochre, 
blended with leaves, twigs and other vegetable matter. 
The brook wliich flows along this wild and narrow 
valley, falls over many successive ledges, which adds 
much totheiuterest of the scene. Its marj^inis fiin5:cd 
R 



iSi PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

with avariety of beautiful shrubs, whose broad k heavy 
foliage affords an agreeable contrast with the slender 
leaved cedars that adorn the rocks above. A quarter of a 
mile below the spring, this brook is joined by another, 
flowing in a similar valley. Along this, a number of 
excavations have been unsuccessfully made, in search 
of ores. Among these there is one, five or six feet 
deep and as many in diameter, which was dug at 
a period altogether antecedent to the settlement of this 
country by the Anglo-i\mericans ; but whether by 
the French or the ancient inhabitants, is quite uncer- 
tain. The valley of these united streams exhibits to 
the geologist the transition from the common to the 
silicious limestone strata — and a visit to the Falls of 
the Little Miami will afford several charming pros- 
pects. Upon the whole, a tour to the Yellow Spring 
will amply repay the traveller, if not the invalid ; and 
amuse those who are in health, if it do not in many cases 
heal the infirm. As to the fountain, it is transparent, 
emits no air bubbles, and has the temperature of 53 de- 
grees ; which is that of the springs in its vicinity. Its 
taste is that of a slight chalybeate, and the examina- 
tions which have been made, indicate it to contain a 
portion of oxide of iron and earbonate of lime, dissolved 
by the agency of carbonic acid gas. In its other saline 
impregnations, it appears to have no excess over the 
springs of the Miami country generally ; it is used for 
domestic purposes, and its sensible effects on the human 
system appear to be inconsiderable. In those cases 
of chronic disease and debility, where a chalybeate is 
proper, it has however been used with advantage. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 195 

An attempt has been made to prepare a paint from 
the deposit below the spring, which has been attended 
wilh the most flattering success. 

The springs most resorted to by the people of Cincin- 
nati, are the salines at Big Bone, 22 miles south-west 
of the town, in the state of Kentucky. They are seve- 
ral in number, and their waters were formerly employed 
in the manufacture of salt; until the discovery of 
stronger salines on the Great Kenhawa, reduced the 
price of that article below what it could be afforded 
when manufactured at these licks. The waters at Big 
Bone hold in solution, besides common salt, the muriate 
of lime, sulphate of soda or magnesia, and a few other 
salts of less activity, but no iron. They afford a great 
quantity of sulphurated hydrogen gas, whieh is con- 
stantly escaping in bubbles. From their effects on the 
sulphates of copper and iron, they appear obviously to 
contain a portion of gallic acid, that is no doubt fur- 
nished by the vegetable matter through which the 
waters rise. The springs are situated near the termi- 
jation of the back-water of the Ohio, and consequently 
t a point where great quantities of twigs and leaves 
^most of which frem the nature of the surrounding fo- 
f-est must be of oak) are brought down by the current, 
and deposited. The temperature of the springs is 57°. 
Their taste and smell are sulphurous, and offensive to 
strangers ; but the impression made by the gas is tran- 
iient, and the taste of the common salt afterwards pre- 
dominates. They do not increase the pulse, but their 
sensible effects on the alimentary system, kidnies and 
skin, are great. The action of the two former are very 
much increased ; and the latter is frequently affected 



196 PICTURE OF CIKCINNATI. 

in a few days with a violent itcliisi^^, and an eruption of 
pimples or pustules, which are now and then connected 
with large boils. These waters are, liowever, neither 
serviceable nor safe to persons whose constitutions liav« 
been long and generally debilitated ; whose digestioa 
is bad, from peraianent weakness of the stomach ; wh« 
are affected with head ach, and a general reduction in 
the energy of the nervous system; or who labor under 
that species of pulmonary consumption which will not 
bear depletion. The disorders to which they seem pe- 
culiarly adapted, are the torpor, obstruction or chronie 
inflammation produced by acute diseases in the lungs, 
liver, spleen, kidnies, in short, any of the viscera; and 
which have not continued so long that the constitution 
is exhausted. In these cases, experience has showa 
them to possess all the eilftcacy which could be expected 
in any mineral water. From a pint to a gallon, may 
be taken daily, according to the strength of the patient, 
and its sensible effects on the system. The quantity 
drunk at first, should be small, especially by those of a 
reduced habit. 

The valley in which these springs are situated, is of 
moderate width, and bounded by a waving and irregular 
rampart of elevated hills. The scenery is romantic, 
and not destitute of picturesque features; but the ver- 
dure in spfing and summer is rather unvaried, and the 
enchantment of a distant perspective is wanting. These 
defects in the configuration of the vale are, however., 
amply compensated by the mighty relics which it en- 
tombs. It is now more than half a century since these 
first attracted tlie attention of European travellers ; and 
so many have been borne off^ that a few fragments only 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 197 

remain on the surface, to excite the associations and 
recollections which this consecrated spot is calculated 
to inspire. As no other place hitherto discovered in 
the Union has afforded such quantities of huge animal 
remains, and as the first ever transmitted to the philo- 
sophers of Europe, were collected here, the Big Bone 
VALLEY deserves, among naturalists, a classical dis- 
tinction. It is indeed well worthy a visit from those 
who can relish the sentiments and tlie speculations exci- 
ted by comtemplating the ruins of the largest animal 
species which have appeared on our globe. And if, 
according to Mr. Jefferson, the passage of the Potomac 
through the Blue Ridge, be a scene worth a voyage 
across the Atlantic — the tomb of the mammoths will 
certainly reward the traveller of taste and science, for 
a journey from Cincinnati. 

An establishment for the preparation of artificial 
mineral waters, was made in the spring of the present 
year 5 and during the few weeks that it continued in 
operation, it attracted much attention. The proprietor 
has made arrangements for opening a greater number 
of fountains the ensuing summer 5 and will be able, 
hereafter, to supply the citizens of Cincinnati with as 
fine a variety of these salutary waters, ^s any of the 
large cities can afford. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 199 



CHAPTER VI. 
ANTIQUITIES. 

No objects ill the stale of Ohio seem to have more 
forcibly arrested the attention of travellers, nor em- 
ployetl a greater number of pens, than its antiquities. 
It is to be regretted, however, that so hastily and super* 
iicially have they been examined by strangers, and so 
generally ueglocted by ourselves, that the materials for ft 
full description have not yet been collected. The former 
have too ofien contented themselves by copying from 
each other ; a«jd the latter have commonly substituted 
wonder for examination In the United States, there 
is indeed no redundance of time or money 5 but even iA 
this young and parsimonious state, it is not uncommon 
to see appropriations of both, to objects of greater ex* 
pense and lesser interest, than a survey of these curioui 
relics. In the reflection, that I shall add one more td 
these crude and partial accounts, there is not much 
either to exalt pride or gratify ambition; but as a de» 
seription of any part of the state of Ohio that did not 
embrace these vestiges of former population* would hf 
many be considered palpably defective in its plan, the 
present chapter eaunot be omitted. Its imperfections^ 



«00 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

however, will not only fit it for being compared with 
the treatises that are already extant on the same 
subject, but make it better correspond with the articles 
among which it will appear. 

Before proceeding to examine the remains which are 
termed ancient, it may be advantageous to distinguish 
them, if possible, from those which are evidently mo- 
dern. In several places are to be found the sites of 
Indian villages, which are indicated by hearths of flat 
stones; by ashes, charcoal and calcined earth; and by 
vast quantities of the broken bones of those animals on 
which the inhabitants subsisted. About the same spots, 
but not confined to them, are found various articles fa- 
bricated of clay, coal, grit, flint, granite and other hard 
stones ; and which, from their form, are denominated 
hatchets, axes, chissels, arrow heads, pipes or orna- 
ments. Fragments of earthern ware, also, are picked up, 
which exhibits, in its composition, pounded muscle and 
•ther river shells ; and on its surface, many ornamental 
lines, either straight and parallel, or curved ; always 
formed by indentation or incision. None of it appears 
to have been glazed ; but most of the fragments have, 
it is obvious, been subjected to a strong heat. All 
which 1 have seen, were parts of vessels ; and are un- 
questionably a manufacture of the same species with 
that carried on by some of the southern tribes of Lou- 
isiana at the present time. The remaining works of a 
modern date, are stone and sometimes earthen tumuli 5 
ifvhich are distinguishable from the ancient by their di- 
minutive size ; and from being disconnected with any 
extensive fortifications, or other remains. I have secH 
three of these Indian graves examined. They wtre 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 20 f 

situated on the top of a high ridge, in Kentucky, where 
none of the common vestiges of ancient population eX" 
ist. Two of them were composed of stone, the other 
of earth. In the latter, the dead bodies had been laid 
on the surface of the ground, and were surrounded by 
ashes, calcined loam and fragments of charred wood. 
They were covered with flat limestones, surrounded by 
others set edgewise. Over the whole had been erected 
a circular mound of little convexity, being nearly 36 
feet in diameter, and not more than three in height. 
The others had nearly the same internal construction 5 
but their framers chose to bring up stone from the 
creeks 200 feet below, rather than erect a mound of 
earth ; and when we take into consideration the tools 
which they must have used for the latter purpose, their 
preference of the former cannot excite much surprise. 

Having premised these remarks, we are better pre- 
pared to understand what relates to the works wliieh 
are more ancient. Among these, there is not a single 
edifice, nor any ruins which prove the existence, in 
former ages, of a building composed of imperishable 
materials. No fragment of a column ; no bricks ; nor 
a single hewn stone large enough to have been incorpo- 
rated into a wall, has been discovered. The fabrics of 
wood must have long since mouldered away; and the 
only relics which remain to inflame curiosity and excite 
speculation, are composed of earth, with vvhich rude 
and undressed masses of stone have been sometimes 
combined. These vestiges consist of mounds, exca- 
vations, and embankments or walls, of various forms 
and dimensions. Cincinnati affords specimens of each. 
They are extensive and complicated, but not conspi- 



202 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

f uous, and have therefore attracted less attention than 
the relics at some other places. Their relative position 
may be seen by a reference to the frontispiece. The 
principal wall or embankment, encloses an entire block 
of lots and some fractions. It is a very broad ellipsis} 
one diameter extending 800 feet east from Race-street; 
and the other about 660 feet south from Fifth-street. 
But its figure is not mathematically exact. On the 
east side it had an opening nearly 90 feet in width. It 
is composed of loam, and exhibits, upon being excava- 
ted, quite a homogenous appearance. Its height is 
scarcely three feet, upon a base of more than thirty. 
There is no ditch on either side. Within the wall, the 
surface of the ground is somewhat uneven or waving; 
hut nothing is found that indicates manual labor. On 
each side of the gateway or opening, exterior and con- 
tiguous to the wall, there is a broad elevation or para- 
pet, of an indeterminate figure. From one of these may 
be traced a bank, not more th^n twelve inches in height, 
on a foundation nine times as great. It extends south- 
erly about 150 feet, till it reaches within one or two 
rods of the border of the upper plain or Hill, when 'A 
turns to the east, and terminates in a mound at the 
junction of Main and Third streets, distant nearly 500 
ftet. From the parapet of the opposite side, no wall 
of this kind can be traced ; but immediately north of it, 
and at a short distance, are two other shapeless and 
insulated elevations, more than six feet in height,vvhich, 
it seems probable, could not have been formed on an 
alluvial plain, but by the hands of man. Upwards of 
400 yards east of this, between Broadway and Sycamore 
streets, there is another bank, of nearly the same di- 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. soa 

mensions with the one last described. It can be traced 
from Sixth to the vicinity of Third street; and is evi- 
dently the segment of a very large circle, the centre of 
which, would lie within or immediately south of that 
already described. From near the southern end of this 
segment, to the river, a low embankment, it is said could 
formerly be traced ; and was found to correspond in 
height, directipn and extent, with another, more than 
half a mile distant, in the western part of the town; but 
neither of these are now visible. In Fifth-street, east 
tifall that have been described, there is a circular 
bank enclosing a space 60 feet in diameter. It was for- 
med by throwing np the earth from the inside. It is 
not more than a foot in height, but 12 or 15 in hori- 
zontal extent. In the northern part of the town, be- 
tween Vine and Elm streets, at the distance of 400 
yards from the ellipsis first described, there are a couple 
of convex earthen banks, 760 feet long, and less than 
two feet high, connected at each end. They are exact- 
ly parallel and 46 feet asunder, measHring from their 
centres, for two thirds of their distance ; after which 
they converge to 40. In the southern af these banks, 
about the point where their inclination to each olher 
commences, ("here was an opening 30 feet wide. The 
direction of these elevations, as ascertained by the 
compass, does not vary two degrees from a true east 
and west line. The gite of our town exhibits many 
other inequalities of surface, which are no doubt arti- 
ficial ; but they are too much reduced, and their eon- 
figuration is too obscure, to admit oftheir being descri- 
bed. It is worthy of notice, that the plains ou the op- 
posite side of the river have not a single vestige of this 
kind. 



20i PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Of excavations, we have but one. It is situated 
more tlian half a mile north of the figure first descri- 
bed, and is not perceptibly connected vviih any other 
works. Its depth is about 12 feet: its diameter, 
measuring from the top of the circular bank formed 
by throwing out the earth, is nearly 50. Popular 
speculation, could not fail to make it a half filled well; 
but no examination has yet been undertaken. 

The mounds or pyramids found on this plain were 
four in number. The largest stands directly west of 
the central enclosure so often referred to, at the dis- 
tance of 500 yards. Its present height is 27 feet, 
and about eight feet were cut off by General Wayne, 
in 1794, to prepare it for the reception of a centinel. 
It is a regular ellipsis, whose diameters are to each 
other, nearly as two to one. The longer runs 17 de- 
grees east of north. Its circumference, at the base, 
is 440 feet. The earth for 30 or 40 yards around it, 
is perceptibly lower than the other parts of the plain, 
and the stratum of loam is thinner ; from which it ap- 
pears to have been formed by scooping up the surface 5 
which opinion is confirmed by its internal structure. It 
has been penetrated nearly to the centre, and found to 
consist of loam gradually passing into t 'il, with rotten 
wood. The fruits of this examination i ere only a few 
scattering and decayed human bones ; a branch of a 
deer's horn, and a piece of earthen ware, containing 
muscle shell. At th© distance of 500 feet from this pyra- 
mid, in the direction of north eight degrees east there 
is another about nine feet high, of a circular figure, cj* 
nearly flat on the top. This has been penetrated to the 
centre of its base, without affording any thing but soma 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 2QB 

fragments of hiiaiaii skeletons, and a handful of copper 
beads, whieli had been strung on a cord of lint. 

Noi th-east cf the last, at tlie distance of a few hun- 
dred yards, is another of the same figure, but not more 
than three feet in height; which upon being partially 
opened, has been found to contain a quantity of unfi- 
nished spear and arrow heads, of Hint. 

The mound at the intersection of Third and Main 
streets, has attracted most attention, and is the only one 
that had any connection with the lines which have been 
described. It was about eight feet high, one hundred 
and twenty long, and sixty broad ; of an oval figure, 
with its diameters lying nearly in the direction of the 
cardinal points. It has been almost obliterated by the 
graduation of Main-street ; and its construction is, 
therefore, well known. Whatever it contained was 
deposited at a small distance beneath the stratum of loam 
wkieh is common to the town. The first artificial layer 
Mas of gravel, considerably raised in the middle; the 
next, composed of large pebbles, was convex and of an 
uniform thickness ; the last consisted of loam and soil. 
These strata were entire, and must have been formed 
after the deposits in the tumulus were completed. Of 
the articles taken from thence, many have been lost ; 
but the following catalogue embraces the most curious^ 

1. Pieces of jasper, rock crystal, granite and some 
other stones — cylindrical at the extremities,and swelled 
in the middle ; with an annular groove near one end. 

2, A circular piece of cannel coal, with a large open- 
ing in the centre, as if for an axis; and a deep groove 
an the circumference, suitable for a baud. It has a 
Bumber of sicall perforations, disposed in four equidis- 

S 



206 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

tant lines, which run from the circumference towards 

the centre. 

3. A smaller article of tlie same shape, with eight 
lines of perforations ; but composed of argillaceous 
earth, well polished. 

4. A bone, ornamented with several carved lines, 
supposed to be hieroglyphieal. 

5. A sculptural representation of the head and beak 
©f a rapacious bird, perhaps an eagle. 

6. A mass of lead ore (galena J lumps of which have 
been found in some other tuuiuii. 

7. A quantity of isinglass (mica memhranacea) 
plates of which have been discovered in and about other 
mounds. 

8. A small ovate piece of sheet copper, witli two per- 
forations. 

9. A larger oblong piece of the same metal, wilh 
longitudinal grooves and ridges. 

These articles are described in the fourth and fiflh 
volumes of the American Philosophical Transactions, 
by Governor Sargent and Judge Turner ; and were sup- 
posed, by Professor Barton, to have been designed in 
part for ornament, and in part for superstitious ceremo- 
nies. In addition to these, I have since discovered in 
the same mound — 

10. A number of beads, or sections of small hollow 
cylinders, apparently of bone or shell. 

11. The teeth of a carnivorous animal, probably those 
of the bear. 

12. Several large marine shells, belonging perhaps 
to the genus buccinum ; cut in such a manner as to serve 
for domestic utensils, and nearby converted into the 
state of chalk. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. ^oT 

14. Several copper articles, each consisting of twii 
sets of circular concavo-convex plates ; the interior one 
of each set connected with the other by a hollow axis 
around which had been wound a quantity of lint : 
the wliole encompassed with the bones of a man's hand. 
Several other articles, resembling this, have been dug 
up in other parts of the town. They all appear to con- 
sist of pure copper, covered with the green carbonate 
of that metal. After removing this incrustation of rust 
from two pieces, their specific gravities were found to 
be 7.540 and 7.837. Their hardness is about that of 
the sheet copper of commerce. They are not engraven 
or embellished with characters of any kind. 

15. Human bones. These were of diiVerent sizes j 
sometimes enclosed in rude coflins of stone, but oftener 
lying blended with the earth — generally surrounded by 
a portion of ashes and charcoal. The quantity of these 
bones, altho' much greater than that taken from the 
other mounds of the town, was small in proportion to 
what was expected — the whole tumulus not having con- 
tained perhaps more than 20 or 30 skeletons. With a 
view of comparing these bones with those of the present 
Indian tribes, I endeavored to collect and preserve 
them ; but they were generally in such a state of decay, 
that nothing more could be inferred, than a sameness 
in the height of the two races. At length I was so for- 
tunate as to procure the skuil, nearly entire, of a uiiddle 
aged man; and have compared it witli th s. of a Wyan- 
dot Indian — presented to me by John Johnston, Esq, 
The facial angle of the ancient, whieli may be termed 
the fossil skull, is 74«> — that of the Wyandot 70° — and 
in their length and breadth there is but little difference. 



208 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

On placing and examining them, however, in the man- 
ner directed by Blumenbach, it is seen that a section 
made through the forehead and the occiput, would ex- 
hibit in the fossil skull almost a regular oval : in the 
Wyandot, the fignre of au egg cut lengthwise, after 
being flatted at its saialler end. The face of the Indian 
head, moreover, is shorter and broader than that of the 
fossil; the upper jaw projects less, and the cheek bones 
are more distant, broad and prominent. Those of the 
fossil skull, are, however, of greater height than the 
eheek bones of most European facrs. But what little 
reliance is to be placed on a single comparison, appears 
fron this — that the upper part of another skull found 
in this tumulus, exhibits the same horizontal section 
with the Wyandot, except that the forehead is remark- 
ably convex, instead of being flatted. The fossil teeth 
which I have seenj were generally sound, and had no- 
thing peculiar ia their figure. 

No earthen vases were found in the Main-street tu- 
mulus ; but a small one, composed in part of pulverised 
Eiuscle shells, was lately dug up and broken to pieces, 
about 500 feet from that mound. Other vessels have 
been discovered in similar situations in the country. 
A comparison of these, as to form, composition and or- 
nament, with the vases made in later tiraes or by distant 
nations, might lead to interesting results ; but the bi- 
gotry of Spiin in the 16ih century seems not to have 
been more destructive to the historical paintings of 
Mexico, than the indifference, negligence or idle curio- 
sity of many of our citizens are to these interesting 
relics. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 209 

The ancient works are generally found in the vicinity 
of our rivers, an<l aloni^ the Miamies there are many 
Muich deserve a fall description ; but I am able to 
sketch only the outline of a few. 

For some account of those at Piqna, on the western 
side of the Great Miami, lam indebted to Messrs. J. 
Johnston and J. G. Telford. The slip of recently 
formed bottom, or alluvion, next the river, is as usual 
wilfiout any relics; but immediately on the brow of the 
succeeding and more elevated plain, there is a circular 
earthen wall, enclosino* a space about 100 feet in dia- 
meter, with an opening on the side most remote from 
the river. The adjacent hill, at the distance of half a 
mile, and at the greater elevation of about 100 feet, is 
the site of a stone wall, nearly circular, and enclosing 
perhaps 20 acres. The valley of the river on one side, 
and a deep ravine on the other, render the access to 
three fourths of this fortification extremely difficult. 
The wall was carried generally along the brow of the 
hill, in one place descending a short distance so as to 
include a spring. The silieious limestone of which it 
was built, must have been transported from the bed of 
the river, which for two miles opposite these works, 
does not at present aiford one of ten pounds weight. 
They exhibit no marks of the hammer, or any other 
tool. The wall was laid up without mortar, and is now 
in ruins. 

Lower down the same river, near the mouth of Hole's 
creek, on the plain, there are remains of great extent. 
The principal wall or bank, which is of earlh, encloses, 
I am informed by Mr. Benjamin Van Cleve, about 160 
acres, aad is in some parts nearly 13 feet high. 
S 3 



-to PICTURE OF CmCINNATI. 

On the west siile of this river, two miles bcluw Ha- 
milton, there is a fortification, on the top of an elevated 
hill of (liHieult access, whieli is out of view from the 
river. It contains, by estimation, 50 acres. The wall 
is of earth, and generally rises two or three feet, being 
highest where the ground is most favorable to an attack. 
Three fourths of its circumference are bordered by 
deep vallies : the remainder lies across a level ridge, 
and here the lines are triple. The interior traverses 
the ridge nearly in a straight course ; the middle pre- 
serves the curvature of the fortification, and the exte- 
rior resembles the segment of a smaller circle project- 
ing out of the other, in the form of a crescent. There 
are a i'ew openings in this wall, and one or two piles of 
limestone are observable near it. There is no ditch on 
either side. At the distance of two or three hundred 
yards in front of the crescent shaped bank, there is a 
mound about 25 feet in diameter at the base, and seven 
fact high. 

On the elevated point of land above the confluence of 
the Great Miami and Ohio, there are extensive and 
complicated traces, which, in the opinion of military 
men eminently qualified to judge, are the remains of very 
strong defensive works. The under part of the wall, 
I am informed by General Harrison, is of stone, rudely 
put together. The upper part is of earth. 

In the vicinity of Miiford, on the Little Miami, there 
are some fortifications, for a survey of which, the pub- 
lic are under an obligation to General Lytle, of this 
town. His plats are engraved and published, without 
acknowledgement, by Dr. Hugh Williamson, in the 
appendix to his << Observations on the climate of dife- 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 211 

ferent parts of America." The largest of these forts is 
sitaated on the top of the first hill above the coijfliience 
cf the East fork with the Miami. It consists of a 
square enclosure, three sides of which have each a sin- 
gle opening, and the fourth two. From this side there 
is a semicircular projection, covering nearly as much 
ground as the square itself. It has three openings, 
at unequal distances. From the junctiosj of these two 
figures on the west, there run two parallel banks, which 
terminate at a circular wall, from which two others are 
extended southwardly. These are divergent, and be- 
tween them, near their termination, there are three 
parallel banks connected at the inner end. From the 
north-east corner of ihe figure first described, there are 
discernible for two miles, in the same direction, ap- 
pearances which indicate a road in former limes. The 
ground at present is raised from one to two feet high. 
The width of this causeway appears to have varied 
from 20 to 30 feet. Its surface is convex. In several 
places strata of limestone and pebbles have been dis- 
covered, but in other parts it seems to be composed of 
earth only. It lies generally on the ridge that sepa- 
rates the rivulets which fall into the East-fork and Lit- 
tle Miami respectively. On the opposite side of the 
Miami river, above Round-bottom, there are similar 
works of considerable extent. On the head waters of 
the East-fork, other remains have been discovered, of 
which the principal bears a striking resemblance in its 
exterior to the first of those just described ; but within, 
it differs from any which have yet been examined in this 
quarter, in having nine parallel banks or long parapets 
united at one end, exhibiting very exactly the figure of 



213 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

a gridiro 1. In this fort, most of the gateways are 
guarded by straight or crescent-formed batteries. 

I am told by General Lytle, that none of these re- 
mains are more than three feet liigh. They are all 
composed of earth, and do not in general exhibit any 
appearance of a ditch. 

Further up the Little Miami, in its valley at Deer- 
field, there are some interesting remains ; but those 
which have attracted more attention than any others in 
the Miami country, are situated six miles from Lebanon, 
above the mouth of Todd's-fork, an eastern branch of 
the Miami. On the summit of a ridge at least 200 feet 
above the valley of the river, there are two irregular 
trapezoidal figures, connected at a point where the 
ridge is very much narrowed by a ravine. The Mall, 
which is entirely of earth, is generally eight or ten feet 
high ; but in one place, where it is conducted over level 
ground fur a short distance, it rises to eighteen. Its 
situation is accurately adjusted to the brow of the hill'; 
and as there is, in addition to the Miami on the west, 
deep ravines on the north, the south-east, and south, i^ 
is a position of great strength. The angles in this 
wall, both retreating and salient, are numerous and 
generally acute. The openings or gateways, are not 
less than eighty ! They are rarely at equal distances, 
and are sometimes within two or three rods of each 
other; they are not opposite to, or connected with, any 
existing artificial objects or topographical peculiarities, 
and present therefore, a paradox of some difficulty. 
There is nothing either external or internal, that de- 
serves the name of a ditch. On the declivity, imme- 
diately to the south west of the rampart, there are 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 2i3 

three parallel curvilinear roads or narrow terraces, 
about 40 rods in leugth, which coDimand an extensive 
view both up and down the Miami. Within the forf, 
near its northern end, there are two semicircular banks, 
so obscure as to be generally overlooked. The area of 
the whole enclosure is almost one hundred acres. About 
twenty poies east from tliat part of the wall which 
crosses the ridge, there are two mounds, each nearly 
nine feet high. They are not far asunder, and walls 
are extended from them in opposite directions to the 
adjoining ravines. From these mounds there run to the 
north east, along the ridge, a couple of roads or eleva- 
tions, sixteen feet in width and three in height. They 
are nearly parallel for a quarter of a mile, when they 
diverge, but at length uni^e on the farther side of a 
small and irregular mound. One of the state roads 
from Cincinnati to Chillicothe passes over the northern 
part of this interesting work, and thereby affords the 
traveller an opportunity of examining it personally. 
The only survey which has yet been made of it, was by 
Mr. Joel Wright. 

Such are a few of the more extensive or curious ver- 
tiges of former population in (he Miami country. They 
might be received as specimens of all that our state 
contains, were not those of the Muskingum and Scicta, 
from report, still more striking and complicated. A 
full and interesting description of what Marietta afford?, 
may be found in the Tour of the reverend Mr. Harris ; 
but the others have only been mentioned incidentaiiy. 
In consequence of this, I am induced to oiTer the fol- 
lowing notice of one th.at 1 have superficially examined, 
altho' it lies beyond the boundaries of the Miami eouutry. 



;211 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

It is situated ten miles from Cliillicothe, on one orthe 
steep and elevated ridg'es of Paint-creek, under topo- 
graphical circumstances which will be sufficiently un- 
derstood by recollecting those of the fortification last 
described. The wall, which had been conducted alons: 
the verge of the hill, is by estimation about a mile and 
half in length. It was formed entirely of undressed 
freestone, brought chiefly from the streams 250 feet be- 
low, and laid up without mortar or cement of any sort. 
It is now, like all the walls of a similar kind which 
liave been discovered in the western country, in a state 
of ruins. It exhibits the appearance of having been 
shaken down by an earthquake, not a single stone being 
found upon another in such a manner as to indicate 
ihat to have been its situation iu the wall. In several 
places there are openings, immediately opposite which, 
inside, lie piles of stone. In a few spots, the stones are 
colored by the action of fire — are larger in quantity, 
and have, blended with them, lumps of cinder resem- 
bling that produced in a smith's forge. The surround- 
ing region is abundant in iron ore ; and the inhabitants 
tell of excavations which they suppose to have been 
formerly made in search of that mineral. However 
this may be, it is certain that the vestiges of a great 
population are still discernible in the valley of Paint- 
creek ; and that, upon the whole, there is perhaps no 
spot in the state of Ohio better calculated for successful 
researches into the ancient condition of this country. 

I sliall conclude these imperfect descriptions, with 
the following general observations. 

1. The Lakes, and the Gulph of Mexico, appear to 
be the northern and southern boundaries of the regioa 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 215 

contalniiio. these ancient works. M'Kenzie does not 
mention them in his voyages and travels to the north- 
west through the Lakes ; but Bartram saw them in va- 
rious places in Georgia and Florida. Between the 
Ohio and (he Gulph, tliey appear to be much fewer than 
between that river and the Lakes. As to their north 
latitude, 43° may perhaps be (he limit. On the east, 
they are bounded by the Alleghenies ; on the west, they 
extend to the Pacific ocean ; but are found of the great- 
est magnitude and g'andeur in some of the southern 
provinces of Mexico. From that country, indeed, they 
seem to decrease in size, beauty and regularity, in a 
ratio corresponding direedy to the distance. 

2. They are generally found in the vallies of tlie 
larger streams ; and on the most elevated plains or ter- 
races, which are provincially termed the second and 
third banks, counting from the river. The first or low- 
est, which is also the most recently formed, along many 
of our streams suffers occasional inundation. AVhen 
some of the works in this coun(ry were erected, these 
new alluvions might not have been formed, or were 
perhaps liable to annual submersion. 

3. The forests, over these remains, exhibit no ap- 
pearances of more recent growth, than in other parts. 
Trees, several hundred years old, are in many places 
seen growing out of the ruins of others, which appear 
to have been of equal size. 

For what purpose were these works erected ? It must 
have been obvious to the reader, that most of those 
which have been indicated, were for defence, AVhat 
are situated on hills, were perhaps without exception, 
of this kind. Concerning some of the vaiiey-reraaius, 



2L6 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

there are grounds for a different opinion. Those at 
Cincinnati, for example, exhibit so few of the charac- 
teristics of a defensive work, that General Wayne, upon 
attentively surveying them in 1794, was of opinion that 
they were not designed for that purpose. It was from 
the examination of valley -works only, that Bishop 
Madison was led to deny that the remains of the west- 
ern country were ever intended for defence; and to 
conclude that they were enclosures for permanent resi- 
dence.* It would be precipitate to assert, that the re- 
lics found in the vallies were for this purpose ; and 
those of the uplands for defence. But wliile it is certain 
tliat the latter were military posts, it seems higlJy pro- 
bable that the former were for ordinary abode in times of 
peace. They were towns and the seals of chiefs, whose 
perishable parts have crumbled into earth, and disap- 
peared with the generations which formed them. iSlany 
of them might have been calculated for defence, as well 
as habitation ; but tlie latter must have been the chief 
purpose for which they were erected. On the contrary, 
the hill-coustructions,which are generally in the strong- 
est military positions of the country, were designed 
solely for defence, in open and vigorous war.f 

* It can detract nothing from the reputation of this respecta- 
ble scholar, but must be regarded as confirming his hypothesis, 
to remark, that it is the same as that suggested by Dr. Thomas 
MoUyneux, concerning a part of the Danish antiquities of Ire- 
land ; in a D'.scourse published in 1T25. 

f This article was written before I had seen or even heard of 
that interesting chapter in the " Views of Louisiana,*' where 
the ingenious author, Mr.Breckenridge, has much more fully and 
ably supported a similar opinion, the suggestion of which was 
first made by Professor Barton. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 2if 

All the mounds were, I suspect, burying places ; but 
they probably had, as such, various grades and kind* 
of distinction. Not many of them could have been for 
public use. In the Miami country, at least, tliey are 
too few and small to have served for the mass of the 
population, at the period when they were erected. Had 
they been composed entirely of bones, they must have 
been extended beyond their present size by a single 
generation. But most of them contaia very few bones. 
They were, perhaps, exclusively the tumuli and monu- 
ments of distinguished persons or families. At the 
same time, the larger might have served for the sites of 
temples ; like the pyramids of the Toult«cs and A;ztecs 
in Mexico, as described by Humboldt. 

Are these vestiges referable to a nation which ha« 
swftered expul&ion from this part of the continent, and 
become extinct, or to the ancestors of the existing In- 
dian tribes ? Professor Barton, whose knowledge of 
the aboriginal inhabitants of this country exceeds that 
of any other man, originally entertained the former of 
these opinions. He conceived that the Touitecs, a 
nation which the hieroglyphical annals of Mexico re- 
present to have migrated across the continent from 
north to soulh in the sixth and seventh centuries, were 
the people who constructed these remains. In the year 
1805, Mr. Harris appeared as the advocate of a similar 
hypothesis; but previous to this period, tlie Professor 
seems to have changed his earlier opinions, and in 179d 
expressed his conviction, that throughout the whole of 
North America, there had once been a much more nu- 
merous and civilized population than what existed 
when the interior was first explored by the Europaaus | 
T 



SIS PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

and which has degenerated into the present savage 
hordes. To this position, Dr. Williamson and Mr. 
Brackenridge have recently lent their support, and 
have given to it a high degree of plausibility. In the 
course of some enquiries into the ancient works of the 
Miami country, I have fourid nothing adverse to the j 
supposition of the Professor; but several facts have 
appeared in its support. Of these, the only one which 
I shall mention, is the existence, in the larger mounds, 
•f fra2:ments of earthen ware, which have in their com- I 
position a perfect identity with that fabricated since 
the discovery of America, even up to the present time, 
by many of the tribes low on the Mississippi. A sin- 
gle faut cannot establish a theory ; but upon viewing 
this discovery iij conjunction with what has been writ- 
ten by the ingenious authors just cited, it must, I think, 
he acknowledged, that this hypothesis is Tendered more 
plausible than any other. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 219 



CHAPTER Vir. 
CONCLUSION. 
Section L PROJECTED JMPROVEMEJ^TS. * 

Under this head I do not propose to mention any 
ether improvements than those which are calculated to 
facilitate the intercourse between the town and country. 

Bridges. Some enthusiastic persons already speak 
of a bridge across the Ohio at Cincinnati 5 but the pe- 
riod at which this great project can be executed, is cer- 
tainly remote. Mean while, in a steam ferry-boat, we 
might find nearly all the conveniencies of a bridge ; 
and the communication between the opposite sides of 
the river is so great, even at the present time, that such 
an establishment would yield a good profit. 

A new and permanent bridge across the mouth of 
Deer-creek is much wanted, and will probably be 
erected in the course of one or two years ; as those to 
whom this important charge is confided, will undoubt- 
edly be ashamed to neglect it much longer. 

There was once a wooden bridge over Mill-creek, 
near its confluence with the Ohio; but in consequence 
of a high flood in that river, it was destroyed. In the 



220 PICTURE OF CINCINFATI. 

session of 1814-15, our Legislature authorised the erec- 
tion of a toll-bridge at the same place; which, it is un- 
derstood, will be commenced the ensuing spring. 

Roads. By the law of Congress which provided 
for the admission of this state into the Union, it was 
stipulated, that three per cent, of the nett proceeds of 
the United States' lands within the limits of Ohio, 
should be applied by its Legislature to the laying out, 
opening and improving of its rtads. The policy pur- 
sued by the trustees of this valuable fund has been, to 
appropriate it on a great number ; and, of course, to 
have not a single good road in the state.* The project 
of constructing, between the Miamies, from Cincinnati 
towards the sources of these rivers, a great road, which 
should at all seasons b© equally passable, has been for 
Rome time in agitation. It will perhaps be undertaken 
in 1816, and pass by the nearest route from this town to 
Dayton. The benefits which an execution of this plan 
wauid confer, cannot be fully estimated, except by those 
who have travelled tli rough the Miami country in the 
winter season, and have studied the connexions in busi- 
ness between that district and Cincinnati. The salt, 
the iron, the castings, the glass, the cotton and the fo- 
reign merchandise for at least eight counties, wouM be 
transported on this road ; which would immediately 
become one of the most important in the state. 



* la the year 1809, the Legislature passed a law directing^ 
g9000 of this three per cent, fund to be appropriated to other 
purposes. Against this the officers of the General Government 
remonstrated ; and in the ensuing ses<!ion a law was passed 
directing the money to be refunded, with interest. 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI, 221 

An isiproved road to Columbia is a great desideratum. 
The present one, for several years past, in the winter 
season, has been nearly impassable for carriages and 
loaded waggons ; while all the materials for the best 
turnpike have been at hand, and even constituted one of 
the greatest obstructions on the route. Two years ago 
some efforts were made to form a company for this pur- 
pose, but they seem to have been ineffectual ; and we 
must patiently wait for an accession of wealth and en- 
terprise. The delay of this undertaking is the more to 
be regretted, as we are thereby in a great degree pre- 
cluded from the most asrreeable ainnsr which the vici- 
nity of the town is calculated to afford. 

Canals. The points of near approximation between 
the waters of the Mississippi and the Lakes, appear to 
be six ; not including those which may exist in the vi- 
cinity of lake Superior, and have not yet been examined. 
The Jirst of these is in the neighborhood of Presq' 
Isle, where the highest navigable point of French- 
creek, one of the branches of the x\ilegheny, is found 
within 12 or 15 miles of the Lake. But whether a 
canal could be dug through the portage, has not been 
publicly stated. The second is between the Cayahoga 
and Tuscarawa, one of the upper streams of the Musk- 
ingum. The portage at this place is not more than a 
dozen miles ; and so certain is it that the two waters 
may be connected by a canal, that in the law of Congress 
appropriating a portion of the public lands to the im- 
provement of inland navigation, 100,000 acres were 
assigned for defraying the expense of this project ; but 
the work has not yet been commenced. The third is 
betwixt the St. Mary and Auglaize, branches of the 
T^ 



2^3 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Maumee ; and Loramies-creek, one of the most naviga- 
ble waters of the Great Miami. The relative position 
of these small rivers may be seen by a reference to the 
map. The St Mary is remarkably serpentine, with a 
gjeneral direction towards the north-west ; whicli makes 
the voyage to the Lake circuitous and protracted. It 
is said to have an earthen channel, with low banks, and 
to be deep and narrow. In the course of the year, there 
are generally five or six floods, when its navigation 
would be perfectly safe, were it not for the bayous 
which are then formed. Its junction with the St. Jo- 
seph, at Fort Wayne, composes the Maumee. Th« 
Auglaize is a shorter river than the St. Mary, and en- 
tering the Maumee 60 miles below that stream, affords 
a much quicker passage into the Lake. It is also a 
larger river than the one first described ; but has a 
stony channel and a rapid current. In the opinion of 
gentlemen who have descended both, the navigation of 
the Auglaize is generally not so safe as that of the St. 
Mary ; tho' at certain seasons it aftords more water. 
The highest navigable points on those rivers, are not 
more than 20 miles asunder; and between 13 and 18 
from the head of navigation in Loramies-creek. The 
intervening tract is nearly level, and composed of a 
deep stratum of loam and clay. AVhich of these streams 
could be most easily and advantageously connected 
with our waters, remains to be determined ; as does 
also, the more important question, whether the portage 
would afford sufficient water to feed a canal. The 
fourth connexion is between sources of the Wabash,and 
the St. Mary, eight, miles above Fort Wayne. When 
very high, these rivers overiiow the intervening lands 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 223 

to such a depth, that loaded boats pass over with faci- 
lity. Of the practicability, therefore, of coiinectint^ 
them by a canal, there can be no doubt ; and in the law 
of Congress just quoted, an appropriation of land equal 
to that for the Muskingum and Cayahoga canal, was 
made for this. The fftli point of intercommunication 
is between the Illinois, and the Chicago a southerH 
river of lake Michigan, which I am informed are so 
connected, that in freshets boats can pass readily from 
one to the other. For encouraging the improvement 
of this navigation, the General Government have mad« 
the same appropriation as in the cases before mentioned. 
The sixth connecting waters, are the Ouiseonsing and 
Fox rivers. The former runs into the Mississippi^ 
the latter into Green Bay, an arm of lake Michigan. 
The portage at this point is said to be short. 

Which of these connexions offers the greatest facililies 
to commercial intercourse, cannot at this time be de- 
termined. That between the Chicago and Illinois will, 
it is probable, be the least expensive; but as vessels in 
reaching it must pass through the straits of Miehili- 
mackinac, it is not likely to be used until the banks of 
lake Michigan and the Illinois shall become thickly 
inhabited. The canal between the Cayahoga and 
Muski»ugum will be first opened ; and must greatly be- 
nefit the country watered by thc^se rivers. But in the 
improvement of the connexion between the Great Miami 
and Maumee, the people of the western part of the state 
are most interested. Its utility to the inhabitants of 
Cincinnati and its vicinity v. ill, however, in a great 
degree, depend on the execution of another and more 



224 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

difficult project ; on wliich some general remarks will 

close this Jlrticle. 

To discharge a portion of the waters of the Great 
Miami into the Ohio, at this town, would, confessedly, 
be a great public benefit ; but no proposition on this 
subject has yet appeared; nor does it seem to have at- 
tracted much attention. In the whole course of the 
Miami, there is perhaps but one point where a canal 
could be opened ; and that is near Hamilton, 25 miles 
from the mouth of the river, and about the same distance 
from Cincinnati. In the valley, five miles south of the 
former town, there is a large pond, which is replenished 
by the Miami, when that river is high ; and out of which, 
at the same time, arises one of the principal branches 
of Mill-creek. From this place to Cincinnati, follow- 
ing the meanders of the stream, there is nothing to pre- 
vent the opening of a canal. The valley it is true, con- 
tains great quantities of pebbles and gravel covered 
with soil, but by keeping near the hills that bound it, 
an argillaceous bottom could be had. The diflference 
in level, at low water, between the Ohio at this town, 
and the Miami at Hamilton, has not been ascertained ; 
but it may be estimated at 60 feet. About four miles 
from Cincinnati, the canal would have to be carried 
over Mill-creek, after which it might be conducted 
along the base of the high lands which border the site 
of the town on the north, to the valley of Deer-creek, 
through which it would reach the Ohio, The time 
when the enterprise and resources of the citizens of the 
Miami country will be adequate to the execution of this 
project, cannot be foretold ; but when we consider the 



FlCTtJRE OF CINCINNATI. 225 

ratio of our progression in strength and numbers within 
the last fifteen years, there is much reason to hope that 
the era of this improvement is not remote. The trans- 
portation on this canal and the Miami above (if its na- 
vigation were somewhat improved) would, in less than 
half a century, be great indeed. The country on each 
side, for the average distance of 25 miles, and as far 
north as the navigable waters of the Maumee, about 
110, would be dependent on it. In this parallelogram 
of 5500 square miles, there is no spot which is not sus- 
ceptible of cultivation ; and by far the greater part is 
equal to any laud in the United States. It only, there- 
fore, requires facilities for the exportationof its surplus 
produce, and the importation of foreign articles, to en- 
sure for it a very dense population; and such facilities 
would be afforded by the canal. In addition to this, 
should the diflieulties connected with the navigation of 
the Maumee and its branches, be removed at the same 
time, the skins and peltry, the fish, and perhaps the 
copper of the north, would reach the Ohio ; and the 
cotton, sugar, tobacco and other productions of the 
south, would pass into the Lakes through the same 
channel. 



225 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Section IL FUTURE COJ>^SEqUEJVCE, 

It will perhaps, to many persons at a distance, and 
particularly to those who have not studied our natural 
and commercial geography, appear altogether vision- 
ary, if not boastful, to speak of cities on these western 
waters. Yet it is certain, that those who have contem- 
plated this country with most attention, are strong- 
est in the belief, that many of the villages which have 
sprung up within 30 years, on the banks of the Ohid 
and Mississippi, are destined, before the termination of 
the present century, to attain the rank of populous and 
magnificent cities. The grounds which support this 
prediction are too broad to be travelled over at this 
time; but it may be rendered plausible in a high de- 
gree, merely by a reference to the Mississippi. If we 
consider the quantity of water discharged by this great 
river—the vast extent and number of its branches, many 
of which exceed in length the largest rivers of Europe— 
the general direction of the main trunk, nearly from 
north to south, passing through more than 15 degrees 
of latitude, in the temperate zone — the diversities of 
aspect, and inexhaustible fertility, of the region which 
it irrigates — the boundless and perennial forests, which 
in the east, and in the north, overshadow its sources — . 
the numerous beds of coal andiron which enrich its 
banks — the reciprocal ties and dependencies, which can 
Bever cease to operate, between the inhabitants of its 
upper and lower portions — the numerous states which 
will possess in its navigation, a common interest, that 
must forever constitute a bond of political and commer- 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 32? 

cial amity — we must be convinced, that there is no river 
on earth of equal importance ; or at least none on whose 
countless tributary streams so many millions can subsist. 
Of all the ramifications which enter into the compo- 
sition of this majestic river, the Ohio will unquestiona- 
bly retain, for ages, the highest rank. What compa- 
rison the countries dependent on it will ultimately bear 
to the Hudson, the Delaware or Potomac, cannot at 
this time be determined j but any hypothesis that assigns 
to the former a decreasing ratio of improvement will 
be seen to have no foundation ; the opinion that these 
states cannot support even a denser population than any 
in the East, is altogether groundless ; the associations 
of wildness and ferocity — ignorance and vice, which 
the mention of this distant land has hitherto excited, 
must ere long be dissolved ; and our Atlantic brethren 
will behold with astonishment, in the green and untu- 
tered states of the West, an equipoise for their own. 
Debarred, by their locality, from an inordinate partici- 
pation in foreign luxuries, and consequently secured 
from the greatest corruption introduced by commerce— 
secluded from foreign intercourse, and thereby rendered 
patriotic — compelled to engage in manufactures, which 
must render them independent — secure from conquest, 
or even invasion, and therefore without the apprehen- 
sions which prevent the expenditure of money in solid 
improvements — possessed of a greater proportion of 
freehold estates than any people on earth, and of course 
made industrious, independent and proud 5 — the inha- 
bitants of this region are obviously destined to an unri- 
valled excellence in agriculture, manufactures and in- 
ternal commerce ; in literature and the arts 5 in pub- 
lie virtue, and in national strength. 



2m PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

Where will be erected the chief cities of this promi- 
sing land ? It may be answered with certainty — on the 
borders of the Ohio river. They are not likely to be- 
come places of political importance, for these must lie 
towards the centres of the states which this river will 
divide ; but the commercial and manafactural advan- 
tages that exist in lieu of the political, are so much 
superior, as to justify, in this enquiry, the omission of 
every town not situated on the Ohio. Pittsburgh, Cin- 
cinnati and Louisville, are the places which at present 
Lave the fairest prospects of future greatness. The 
age of Cincinnati is intermediate to the others. Their 
population and business correspond at present with the 
order of their enumeration ; but the time is apparently 
not remote, M'hen a different comparative rank will be 
assigned them. Both Cincinnati and Louisville seem 
destined to surpass Pittsburgh. To this prediction the 
inhabitants of that town — for thirty years the entrepot 
of all the Ohio countries — are not expected to assent. 
It will even be regarded by them, as groundless and 
arrogant; but without stopping to anticipate and repel 
the charges of self interest and vain glory, I shall pro- 
ceed to a brief exposition of the relative advantages of 
that town and this. It is well known to all the people 
of the L^nited States, that for twenty years, both foreign 
and Atlantic goods, to the amount of several millions 
of dollars, have been annually waggoned to Pittsburgh, 
deposited in its warehouses, and shipped in its boats 
ffjrtlie country below. The expense of these operations 
has, of course, been defrayed by the consumers in Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and the adjoining Territories, 
who have thus made to the prosperity of Pittsburgh % 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 2xJ9 

yearly contribution of great value. Hundreds of our 
merchants were passing, moreover, through this town ; 
and it was early discovered, that if nianul'actures were 
establislied, it would be possible to dispose of many 
articles required in tlie newer settlements below. Hence 
founderies, glass houses, breweries, and iron manufac- 
tories of various kinds, were erected; and the wares of 
this " Birmingham of America" superadded to the 
merchandise of the East, soon spread extensively over 
our couutry. During such a period of commercial 
prosperity, the borough could not but flourish ; and were 
the causes of its growth as permanent as they have been 
efficient, it would unquestionably retain an enviable 
superiority. But a change in the current of our im- 
portations — such a change as has already begun — must 
inevitably reduce the ratio of improvement in that 
place, just as much as it will be increased by the same 
cause, in Cincinnati, Louisville and the other towns 
below. The waggoners employed in the transportation 
of our merchandise from Philadelphia; the boat build- 
ders and commission merchants ; the freighters, and 
those who manufacture for these populous young states, 
will no longer receive ®ur specie for their services ; 
and must of course find other employments, or emigrate 
to other towns. The coal and iron of that place will 
indeed long continue abundant; but these are easily 
floated with the current to the towns below ; which caa 
thus establish the manufactures dependent on these im- 
portant articles, with nearly as much facility as they 
are set up in Pittsburgh — w liile that town must obtain 
its cotton and sugar, its hemp and lead, at an expense 
cf freightage, taking these articles together, more thaa, 

V 



23« PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

twice as great as that paid by us. The country around 
that place, is moreover, rugged and sterile, in compa- 
rison with that about either Cincinnati or Louisville 5 
and the greatest population it can support, will have a 
correspondent rarity. Pittsburgh, therefore, has not 
so high a destination as its younger rivals to the west- 
ward ; but it must forever maintain a very important 
and respectable rank. 

The chief advantage which Louisville possesses over 
Cincinnati, is the partial interruption of commerce at 
that place by the Falls of the Ohio. The cargoes of 
boats, when the water is low, are waggoned for two 
miles round those rapids. This not only gives employ- 
ment to a great number of hands, but it makes the town 
•ne of the heads of navigation — a place of debarkation 
and deposit — where, of course, an active mercantile 
business may be done. If these obstructions to the na- 
vigation were irremoveable, Louisville would certainly 
-arrive at a very exalted degree of commercial great- 
ness. But the opinion of professional engineers is such 
as to dissipate much of this interesting prospect. The 
desired improvement was actually commenced more 
than a year ago ; and altho' the prosecution of it has 
been for some time suspended — by causes not necessarily 
connected with the undertaking — there can be no doubt 
of its being resumed, and finished before the lapse of 
many years. When this is done, the commercial im- 
portance of that town must receive a signal reduction ; 
but still it will possess the peculiar advantage of a site 
for great water works. It will, moreover, be the em- 
porium of an extensive and fruitful district in Ken- 
tucky ; for whieh its situation on a southern bend of the 



PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 231 

Ohio gives it a number of advantages. Still there are 
reasons for believing that Cincinnati is to ek the 
ruruKE metropolis of the Ohio. Its site is mor« 
eligible tTian that of most towns on the river. It is 
susceptible of being rendered healthier than Louisville, 
and is extensive enough for a large city. The Ohio 
bounds it on the south-east, south, and south-west, so 
that all the streets, if extended, would, at one or both 
ends, intersect the river within the limits of the corpo- 
ration. It has, therefore, a great extent of shore, along 
the whole of which there is not a reef nor shoal to pre- 
vent the landing of boats. — Opposite to Broadway, is 
the mouth of Licking; a river whose navigation will 
certainly be much improved. — Over the town plat, as 
we have seen in the preceding article, a canal at som© 
future period may be conducted from the Great Miami; 
whose waters can, by another canal, be connected with 
those of the Maumee, and thus secure to us a new and 
profitable trade with the Lakes. — A survey of the Ohio 
M'ill exhibit to us the important fact, that between 
Pittsburgh and Louisville there is not a single spot, 
where a future rival to Cincinnati can be raised up. 
Finally, by a reference to the map of the Miami coun- 
try, it may be seen, that the river, in approaching Cin- 
cinnati from Maysville, which is 60 miles above, runs 
generally to the north-west; that after passing the 
town, it soon alters its course, and flows nearly to the 
south for more than 40 miles; and consequently, that 
Cincinnati lies in a situation to command the trade of 
the eastern and western, as well as the interior portions 
©f the Miami country. This is the case for more thaa 
SO miles ia those directions ', and when the improrre- 



SS2 PICTURE OF CINCINNATI. 

meiit of the roads shall be such as to facilitate inter- 
course with this place, the power it must exercise over 
these opposite districts will be still greater. The ad- 
joining parts of Kentucky, altho' politiealij discon- 
nected, must long continue to acknowledge their coni- 
Kiercial dependence on Cincinnati. Thus, it is the per- 
manent mart and trading capital, of a tract whose area 
equals the cultivable portion of New-Hampshire, New- 
Jersey or Maryland ; surpasses the state of Connecti- 
cut, and doubles the states of Rhode-Island and Dela- 
ware taken together— with a greater quantity of fertile 
and productive soil, than the whole combined. 

These are some of the local advantages of Cincin- 
nati ; and if improved w ith a spirit corresponding to 
their magnitude, its inhabitants cannot fail to realist 
their most glowing anticipations of future greatness. 



APPENDIX. 



EARTUqUjlKES. 

As the theory of these phenomena is not yet settled, 
it is important to increase the volume of facts; and for 
this purpose the following observations, made in 1811, 
'12 and '13, are offered to the public. It is not suppo- 
sed that they can interest the general reader, or aid the 
speculative philosopher, in the same degree as those 
made where the late visitation w as more signal ; br.t 
they may, perhaps, be found of suSicient moment to 
justify their publication. 

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE, 

December 16, 1811. At 24 minutes past 2 o'clock 
A. M. mean time, the first shock occurred. The mo- 
tion was a quick oscillation or rocking, by most persons 
believed to be west and east : by some south and north. 
Its continuance, taking the average of all the observa- 
tions I could collect, was six or seven minutes. Several 
persons assert that it was preceded by a rumbling or 
rushing noise ; but this is denied by others, who were 
^Awake at the commencement. It was so violent as to 
agUate the loose furniture of our rooms ; open partition 
doors that were fastened with falling latches, and throw 
off the tops of a few ehimnies in the vicinity of the 
town. It seems to have been stronger in the valley of 
the Ohio, than in the adjoining uplands. Many fami- 
shes livijig on the eievated ridges of Kentucky, not more 
than 20 miles from the river, slept during the shock ; 
wkieh eanuot be stiid. perhaps, of any family in tQwa. 
\2 



S34 APPENDIX. 

About 3 o'clock, or 43 minutes after the first, a slight 
vibration was felt. 

AtiiO minutes past 7 o'clock A. M. of the same day, 
occurred a moderate rocking, apparently south-west 
and north-east, of about one minute's duration, termi- 
nating in a strong throe of a few seconds. This was 
unattended by any sound in the earth or atmosphere. 

At 30 minutes past 7 o'clock, or 10 minutes after the 
last, a slight oscillation. 

Between 10 and 11 o'clock A. M. another of the same 
force. 

l7th. At ±5 miniites before 13 o'clock A. M. a vi- 
bration stronger than the last. 

18th. About 30 minutes past 11 o'clock A. M. a 
moderate agitation, 

31st. Between 4 and 5 o'clock A. M. a few gentle 
rockings. 

January 3, 1812. A slight vibration, between 2 and 
3 o'clock A. M. 

From the 3d to the 22d, no vibration, strong enough 
to attract general notice, occurred ; and it was generally 
believed in Cincinnati, that the earth, hereabouts, was 
quiet. ^ Others, however, assert, that they felt many 
slight agitations ; which, undoubtedly, was the case; 
for during that period, shocks w ere every day felt along 
the Mississippi. 

23d. About 9 o'clock A. M. agreatnumber of strong 
undulations occurred in quick succession. They con- 
tinued 4 or 5 minutes, having two or three distinct 
exaseerbations during that time. An instrument eon- 
strneted on the principle of that used in Naples, at the 
time of tlie memorable Calabrian earthquakes, marked 
the direction of the undulations from south-south-east to 
north-north-west. This earthquake was nearly equal 
to that which commenced the series on the 16th ultimo. 

27th. At 45 minutes past 8 o'clock A M. a solitary 
heave, as strong as any single throe on the 23d. 

February 4. About 4 o'clock P. M. a pretty strong 
agitalion. 

5th and 6tli. During these days, and the nights pre- 
etdino* theuij many slight jars and tremors were per- 



APPENDIX. S35 

celved by the aid of delicate plumh-lines. They were 
also perceptible to those persons who were at rest, in 
situations favorable for nice observation. 

7th. At 45 minutes past 3 o'clock A. M. several 
alarming shocks in rapid succession. The instrument 
already mentioned, indicated the three principal heaves 
to be from the south-west, the south-south-west a!»d 
south-south-east. The last g;re itly surpassed my other 
undulation ever known at this place. Ft threw down 
the tops of more chimnies, made wider fissures in the 
brick walls, and produced vertii^o and nausea in a 
greater number of people, than the eartl;qiakes of 
either the 16th of December or the 33d of January. It 
was said by some, that this earthquake was preceded 
by a light and a noise ; but this was denied by others, 
who were awake, and collected in mind and senses. 

8th. Durinsr n)ost of this day, the earth was (to 
borrow a term from chemistry) in a state of ebullition; 
as the gyration, and other agitations of pendulous bo- 
dies indicated. 

About 8 o'clock P. M. a slight agitation. 

At 30 minutes after 8 o'clock P. M. another vibration. 
Its continuance was nearly a minute. 

At 40 minutes past 10 o'clock, a shock considerably 
stronger than either of the preceding. It was observed 
to produce in suspended and elevated bodies, a very 
sensible degree of treuibling, but no oscillation ; indica- 
ting, perhaps, a vertical, instead of the horizontal mo- 
tion of the previous shocks. Immediately before this 
shock, 1 had the satisfaction of hearing, for the first 
time, a noise, such as preceded, according to the report 
of some of our citizens, most of the principal earth- 
quakes. It was a peculiar, faint, dull, rumbling or 
rushiijg sound, near the horizon, to the south-west. It 
seemed to approach, but not arrive at the place of ob- 
servation, and after continuing four or five seconds, was 
succeeded by the sliake. During the remainde** of the 
night, and the next day, the earth was in the same 
state of tremor which it sutFered on the 5th and 6th. 

10th. About 4 o'clock P. M. a gentle vibration. 

mil. 1 A. M. another. 



236 . APPENDIX. 

llth. About 6 o'clock A. M. another. 

13 th. 10 — another. 

2 P. M. another. 

16 th. ^ 10 another. 

17th. At 40 minutes past 3 o'clock A. M a stronger 
shock. The wndulatiou south-south-east and Bonh- 
north-west. About tJiis time a great number of slight 
tremors and agitations were perceived. 

20th. Between to & 11 o'clock P. M. a slight shock. 

21st. At 30 minutes past 12 o'clock A M. a short 
but stronger shock. 

2;-^d. Between 3 and 4 o'clock A. M. anotlier slight 
vibration These three oscillations v.ere south 6c north. 

March 3. A fe>v slight rockings about 30 minutei 
past & o'clock A. M. 

5th. Several short but stronger rockings at 10 mi- 
nutes past 6 o'clock A. M. 

10th. A stronger vibration about 8 o'clock P. M. 

llth. A slighter vibration between 2 Sc 3 o'clock a.m. 

April 30 A moderate agitation. 

May 4. About 11 o'clock A. M. a slight shock. 

10th. 11 P. M. another. 

June 25. In the night, a slight agitation. 

S6th. About 8 o'clock A. M. two slight vibrations. 

Sept. 15. At the dawn of day, a moderate vibration. 

December 23. About 3 o'clock P. M. another. 

March 6, 1813. About 10 o'clock P. M. a very 
slight shock. 

Decern. 12. Between 10 8c 11 o'clock A.M. another. 

— ■ 3 6c 4 P. M. another. 



CLASSIFICATION OP THE SHOCKS. 

The vielence of different earthquakes, is best indi- 
cated by their efficiency in altering the structure of 
the more superficial parts of the earth, and in agita- 
ting, subverting or destroying the bodies which they 
suj)por(. On a comparative scale, formed from such 
remarks, at this place, the fir^t shock of the 16th Decem- 
ber isii, that of the 23d January 1812, and the first 
€a the 7th of iJ'ebruary, occupy above the rest, a decidedl 



APPENDIX. 23y 

elevation, and constitute the first class. To the second 
class belong — the shock at 20 minutes past 7 o'clock 
A. M. December 16, that on the 27th of January, and 
that at 40 minutes past 10 o'clock P. M. on the 7th of 
February. Of the remainder, one half, by estimation, 
may be referred to a fourth class, composed of those 
which were felt only by persons not in action; and the 
remainder will constitute a third class, of intermediate 
violence. The numerous tremo>s& ebullitions, that were 
detected by pendulums, and the delicate sensations of a 
few nh'e observers, when at perfect rest, may constitute 
the fifth and lowest order of these multiplied agitations. 

GENERAL REMARKS. 

1. The original focus of these concussions was the 
valley of the Mississippi, between New-Madrid and 
the Little Prairie, in north latitude 36° and west longi- 
tude from Washington ±2^ 30^ — ^but after the second 
year of their duration, it seems to have ascended the 
Mississippi to the Ohio, and then advanced up that 
river about 100 miles, to the United States' Saline; at 
which place shocks have been felt almost every day for 
nearly two years. 

2. They were vastly more numerous, during the same 
period, on the Mississippi than the Ohio. Not a single 
day passed, from the 16th of December to the ensuing 
summer, without several shocks along the former of 
these rivers. Even at St. Genevieve, 200 miles above 
the principal scene, during a period of seventy days^ 
D. Koe, Esq. counted more than 100 shocks. 

3. The shocks at Cincinnati, which have been refer- 
red to the first and second classes, were generally the 
Tnost violent on the Mississippi. 

4 The kind of convulsion on the Mississippi, was 
different from that experienced here. The latter, it has 
already been stated, was generally an undulation : the 
former, from the most authentic reports, appears to have 
heen a vertical explosion. The causje acted directly 
upwards, and elevated to the surface of the earth, sand 
and various extraneous fossils, which had been buried 
in the alluvion of the river for unknown ages. 



238 APPENDIX. 

5. The convulsion was greater along the Mississippi, 
as well as along the Ohio, than i« the uplands. The 
strata in both vallies are loose. The more teoaeious 
layers of ftlay and loam spread over the adjoining hills, 
many of which are composed of horizontal limestone, 
suffered but little derangement. 

6. All the principal shocks on the Mississippi, were 
attended or preceded by an explosive sound ; which the 
people of that region d^^nomi^ate subterranean thunder. 
This noise was general !y heard tot lie south-west — which 
my correspondent, the honorable Stanley Griswold 
(who has made many observations on these plienomena) 
ascribes to the ground in the vallies of our rivers beiug 
lower in that direction. 

7. The stronger shocks of this great series were felt 
in every part of the United States ; and their violence 
was generally in the inverse ratio of their distance 
from the focus. Earthquakes were experienced, also, 
during the same years, but not on the same days, in 
Europe, the West Indies, and South America. 

8. As some time-pieces are set to solar, and others to 
meantime; and as mos.t of them are inaccurate, it is 
difficult to determine the precise date of any of the 
shocks : but from the best information that can be col- 
lected, their absolute time, in different parts of the Uni- 
ted States, was the same, or nearly so. 

9. The shocks at the United States' Saline, for a year 
past, have, as before stated, been almost daily ; and' 
are frequently attended with a loud noise underground. 
But they are so cireumseribedin their geographical ex- 
tent, that but few of them are felt even at Shawnoe- 
town, on the bank of the Ohio, only ±2 miles distant. 
As late> however, as the month of June of the present 
year, several of these concussions were so violent as to 
be felt at the place just mentioned, at Kaskaskia, and 
on the Wabash river^ 40 miles from its confluence with 
the Ohio. 



APPENDIX. 229 

ELECTRICAL AND OTHER PHYSICAL PHENOMENA OF 
1811, '13 AND '13. 

These, at Cincinnati, were not very extraordinary, 
but must nevertheless be enumerated, for the gratifica- 
tion of the speculative reader. 

There was a greater flood in the Mississippi, in the 
summer of the year 1811, than had occurred for fifteen 
years before. Between St. Louis and New-Madrid, 
many parts of the valley were overflown extensively. 
This was followed, in autumn, by the bilious remitting 
and intermitting fever, which prevailed in that quar- 
ter to a great extent. But as this was clearly referable 
to the vegetable putrefaction which was the conse- 
quence of that flood, it should not be considered as con- 
nected with the earthquakes which followed. In re- 
gard to the subsequent diseases in that quarter, both 
Dr. Farrer, of St. Louis, and Judge Griswold, of 
Shawnoetown, are of opinion that they have neither 
been augmented nor modified by those concussions. 
From attentive observation, I am convinced that the 
same remark is true of this place. 

In the condition of our climate there was nothing ex- 
traordinary during the years in which the earthquakes 
prevailed j but those who may wish to examine it for 
themselves, ean do so by a reference to that article in 
the second chapter. 

Some months before the earthquakes commenced, viz. 
on the nth of February 1811, about 3 o'clock P. M. 
the sun being considerably obscured by haze and clouds, 
I observed that luminary to be surrounded by two con- 
centric circles, which were imperfect on the side towards 
the horizon. In the outer circle, in opposite points, 
there were two iridescent spots at unequal distances 
from the horizon; in the inner circle there were like- 
wise two spots, the colors of which were more vivid 
and distinct than the others. This circle was crowned, 
if it may be so expressed, with a straight luminous 
streak, the middle of which touched that part of the 
outer circle nearest the zenith. On the morning of the 
31st of January 1812, appearances equally complicated 
and much more luminous^ were observed by the offiiCert 



240 APPENDIX. 

at Fort Wayne, to attend the sun without change of 
relative position or diminution in brilliancy, from the 
time of his risina; till li o'clock, when they became 
evanescent, and disappeared entirely by 2 o'clock p. m. 
So near the surface of the earth were the vapors which 
produced this sinouilar refraction, that at Cincinnati, 
distant not more than 120 mile^ in a straiglit line, the 
phenomenon was not visible. In the month of February 
1812, the moon was frequently surrounded by a halo, 
which was once observed lo exbibit the prismatic colors. 
On the afternoon of the 6th of March and 7th of May 
of the same year, mock suns were visible. 

In the year 1811, thunder storms were unusually 
rare. Now and then a few moderate peals of thunder 
attended a shower ; but I am confident that in the 
month of August 1800 (a year remarkable for thunder 
and lightniiig) there were more storms of that kind, 
than in the whole of 1811. During the first half of 
1812, thunder storms were numerous and violent : 
many places, indeed, north of Cincinnati, were visited 
hy severe hurricanes. In the second half of the year, 
they were more seldom. In 1813, the number was not 
remarkable. 

In the winter of 181 1 — 12, many persons observed, op 
thought they observed, that those substances which are 
susceptible of electric excitation, gave extraordinary 
indications of the presence of the electric fluid. I will 
not vouch for this, but I accidentally observed the 
leaves of a quire of paper, which had just been rubbed 
with elastic gum, to adhere with more tenacity, and to 
display, when separated in the dark, a more luminous 
streak, at the place of disjunction, than I have since 
witnessed in repeating the cx^erimerA^ apparently under 
the same circumstances. On the 6th of February 1812, 
I had a pointed irou rod, supporting a cork ball elec- 
trometer, inserted six or eight inches into the moist 
earth. It was faithfully observed during two of the 
shocks which occurred in the night of that day, but not 
the slightest electrical appearance was perceptible. 

The comet became visible on the 5th of September, 
1811. 



APPENDIX. iU 

STATE OF THE ATMOSPHERE AT THE TIMES OF THK 
PRINCIPAL SHOCKS. 

For two days previous to the first earthquake, De* 
cember 16, the atmosphere was smoky, hazy and cloudy. 
On the lt5th, there was mist, with a gentle south-tfast 
wind, an! greater darkness than I recollect to have ever 
seen before or since, in the day time. This state of 
things continued till in the night, which was propor- 
tionally darker than the day. The morning of the I6th 
was entirely calm, foggy and smoky, with broken clouds 
moving slowly from the south-west. On the l^th, when 
a slight shock occurred, the wind was the same as oa 
the 15th, with a copious rain. On the iSth, when a 
slight shock was felt, the wind was north-west, with 
snow-falls. The morning of the 31st, a day on which 
some moderate shocks were felt, was calm, with rain. 
For two nights before the 23d of January, when one of 
the principal shocks occurred, the atmosphere was 
hazy, with a circle round the moon. The 22d was 
calm ; the forenoon cloudy, the afternoon nearly clear. 
The morning of the iSd was hazy and cloudy, with a 
very gentle souih-east breeze. Two hours after the 
shock the wind increased, and a copious snow-shower 
commencing, continued until night. The next day was 
attended with a thaw. On the morning of the 2'3d, the 
thermometer was — 5°; on the 23d, 16*^; and on the 2*fch, 
880. On the morning of the 27th, when a shock of the 
second class occurred, it was mild and calm, with bro- 
ken clouds. A shock of the third class was felt on 
the 4th of February, about 4 o'clock P. M. The morn- 
ing of that day was clear, with north-Mest wind. lu 
the course of the forenoon it became overcast. From 
12 to 4 o'clock in the afternoon, it was calm. Imme- 
diately after the shake it commenced, and continued 
for three hours, snowing copiously, with a gentle north- 
west wind, when it cleared off. The 5th and 6lh were 
fair; but in the evpriing of the latter it became over- 
cast, hazy and smoky, and continued so through the 
night. The south-east wind blew on the 6th ; the 
morning of the 7th, after the great earthquake, was 
calm 5 iu the afteruoon the wind, attended with snowj 

W 



2^z APPENDIX. 

recommenced, and continued through the night. At 
the time of the shocks of that night, which were of the, 
second class, it was snowing copiously. From the 10th 
to the 17th, during which two or three slight shocks 
occurred, the weather was various. On the ;;ilst, 2id 
and 23d, shocks of the third class were felt : the 21st 
was clear, with a north-east wind ; the 22d was in the 
same way; on the 23d it was nearly calm, anditiciined 
to rain. On the 3d, 5th, iOth and 11th of March, shocks 
of the third class occurred ; the 3d was clear in the 
forenoon and hazy in the afternoon, with north east 
wind ; the 5th was hazy and smoky, with south-west 
wiinJ ; the 10th wi>s clear, with north-east wind ; ou 
the 11th, the wind was south-west. April 30th, when 
a shake of the same violence occurred, was rainy, with 
north-east wind. A similar shock was felt on the 4th 
of May, which was variable, with north-east wind in 
the forenoon and north-west in the afternoon. The 
10th, when a vibration of the same kind was experien- 
ced, was cloudy, with north-west wind, ceasing at night. 
It is unnecessary to continue these details any longer ; 
from what has been given, the following conclusions 
are deducible : 

1. The principal shocks were preceded by an in- 
crease of atmospheric heat. 

2. They were preceded and succeeded by SiSouth-ea$t 
wind. 

3. They were attllnded with a hazy, turbid or cloudy 
atmosphere. 

4. They, as well as many belonging to the second 
and third classes, occurred when it was calm, or nearly 
so, and were succeeded by stormy weather; which was 
remarkably the case on the 4th of February. 

5. 1 he smaller vibrations of the third and fourth 
classes, happened in various states of wind and weather. 



APPENDIX. 51S 

fREVIOVS EARTHqUAKES-. 

The slioeks of this protracted series are not all which 
this coiintr} has sustained, since it has been the abode 
of civilized man. We have certain accounts of live 
others. 

• The first wa« in the year 1776. Mr. John Heeke- 
welder, tlien a missionarT of the United Brethren, on 
(h'i Muskingum river, in tiiis state, has politely favored 
me wish a meniorandum concernitig it. He does not 
recollect the month : but it was in the summer, and 
about 8 o'clock A. M. Its duration was two or three 
miutites. The south-west side of tbe h')use was raised 
with such violence, that the furniture of the rouni was 
nearly overturned. It was aecomp'iiiied with a stsb- 
ferraneau, rumbling noise. Early in the mornin;^ the 
weather was fair, but previous to the shock it be^an to 
thii;ken in the south west. The cattle were frigiitened 
hj the shake, and the Indians contiu'j' d, after it, to 
apprehend some great disaster, of which they conceived 
this to be the precursor. 

The second shock was in the year 1791 or 1792. 
I am unable to ascertain the prieise time, but 
think it occurred in the month of April or May, about 
7 o'clock m the morning. The weather was iair and 
mild. The jar was sufficient to agitate the furniture 
of the house. A rumbling noise in the earth, which 
seemed to pass from west to east, preceded the shake. 
It wnt . 1 believe, generally felt through the northern 
and uDrth-eastern parts of Kentucky; but whether 
beyond (hem I have not been able to le irn. 

The third shock occurred, as I am informed by George 
Turner, Esq. about 3 o'clock A. M. Jansiary 8th, 1795, 
atKaskiskia, Illinois Teriitory. It was also, 1 believe, 
felt in some parts of Kentucky. Its duration he esti- 
mates, at a minute and a half. Its direction was nearly 
west and east. A subterranean noise attended, resem- 
bling that of many carriages driven rapidly over a 
pavement. 

A fourth shock was eiperienced, we are inforraed by 
Professor Barton,* at the Falls of Niagara, about 6 

Philadelphia Medical and Phys'icalJournal, vol.i." 



51* APPENDIX. 

o'clock in the morning of the 26th Decemher, ir 96. It 
appeared to come from the north-west, and did not last 
more than iMO seconds ; but was sensibly felt for 50 
miles rourd the Falls. 

The hi'tli and only additional shock, of which I have 
been furnished with any certain accounts, oeeiirred in 
the sojithern neighborhood of lake Michigan, at 10 
minutes past 2 o'clock P. M. on the 20lh of August, 
1804-. At Fort Dearborn, on (he bank of the Luke, it 
^vas severe. From the report of captain William 
Whistler, it must have been a stronger throe than iiny 
experienced at this place. It was succeeded by a short 
jnirricane from the Lake. At Fort Wayne, lying con- 
siderably to the east-south-east, it was less violent. 
John Johnston, Esq. my informant, remarks, that the 
day, at that place, was clear and warm, without any 
unusual appearance. The general course of the earth- 
quake was undoubtedly that of a line passing through 
those two forts. 



AVPENDIX. 24:5 



^^URORJl BOREJLIS. 

Oil Sunday the 17th of April, ISl*, soon after dark, 
an aurora borealis became visible at tliis place. It was 
directly in the uorth, the centre moving occasioaallj 
to the wefet or to the cast. It extended 50^ or 60"* 
along the horizon, ami rose from 10° to 1 j^ above it. 
The upper part was most luminous, and now an< then 
faint obtuse flashes of light were sent upwards several 
degrees higher. At length an arch was foimed over 
the bank of light ; its most elevated part was nearly 
on the meridian, and mounted upwards about 40°, send- 
ing dim and slow corruscatious to near t!ie zenith. 
The ends of this arch were, by eUimaliuu, 140 di'grees 
asunder. It was composed of luminous spots, which 
appeared and disappeared aiternateiy,in diderent parts, 
for more than half aa hour ; when, together wilh the 
bank of light near the horizon, and the obtuse corrus- 
cations, they gradually evanished. 

The greatest illujiiinal ion was from about half past 
eight to half past nine o'clock. The light was white, 
wilh a slight tinge of red. Stars were, as usual, visi- 
ble through it. The brilliance was not sui^li as to cast 
shadows on the surface of the earth. The preceding 
day was temperate, with a pretty strong breeze, com- 
mencing to the soutli-west, and veering in the afternoon 
to the north west. During the aurora it was calm. 
The day and evening both, were clear. Next morning 
tlie sky was somewhat hazy and cloudy, with a north- 
east wind, which produced rain in the evening. For 
some time afterwa.ds, the weather was remarkable for 
thunder storms and wind. On the 20th of the same 
month, a tornado laid waste a slip of country between 
this town and Chillieothe ; and about the same time 
another, of great violence, was experienced, 60 miles 
further south, in the state of Kentucky. Both were 
attended with hail. And on the Ith of May, there was 
an extraordinary hail storm iji this eouuty, the descrip- 
tion of rt'hich has been already given in the second 
chapter. 

W2 



.^16 APPENDIX. 

On (lie 11th of vSeptember 181*, tliere was aii aurora 
lorenlis, which coatiuued visible at Cincinnati from 
dark uutil near midnia;ht. It was a bank of pale light, 
in the northern horizon. From this bar h , in the course 
of the evenings, there ascended eorruscations. of the 
same color, to 30** or 35°. These were sometimes sin- 
s;le ; at other times numerous, parallel and inclined a 
few dei^rees to the meridian. At one period, this group 
or phi lanx exhibited the appearance of an arch, having 
its extremities terminated in the horizon, and in its con- 
struction resembliiif^ a vast colonnade, without bases or 
capitals. Two or three times I observed, for a moment, 
a short horizontal streak of fire-red lij^ht. 

Shaotina; stars were unusually numerous in the north, 
the only part of the heavens noticed. Stars were, as 
usual, visible throu£;!i the aurora. There was a cloud 
in that (direction, but its situation was evidently on this 
side of the meteor. Othr r clouds lay in the north-east ; 
and the whole exhibited frequ<^!it flashes of vivid light- 
ning, without thunder, which added much to the gran- 
deur of the scene. The atmosphere was calm and tem- 
perate. The barometer at 29.55, which is above the 
mean heis;ht at this place. 

These are. perhaps, the only nnequivopal instances 
c.f the aurora borealis, observed in this country since its 
settlement; and aliho' in no degree comparable with 
the brilliant illuminations so often seen heretofore in 
the iVorthern States, they were, from their novelty, 
highly interesting. 



APPENDIX. sir 



SOUTHWEST WLXD. 

The iiJi^enious C. F. Yolney spent the summer of 
1796 on the Ohio. During this resitlenee, he seems to 
have been particularly attentive to our climate ; and 
the results of his observations on the souf^i-west wind, 
constitute one of the m')st entertainino* cliapters of his 
View. In the lans^uas^e of Professor Mitehill, they are 
the marrow of all he has written on the climate of the 
United States. His theory, briefly expressed, is this : — 
The trade wind of the Atlantic ocean enters the Gulph 
of Mexico, during^ our summer months, thr»ua;h the 
strait formed by the island of Cuba and the peuinsula 
of Yucatan ; but its progress to the west, is soon pre- 
vented by the mountains of Honduras and Nicaragua; 
iu consequence of which it is aceum.ulated in the Gulph, 
and at length escapes in different directions, and through 
various channels. One of these is the valley of the 
Mississippi, along which the condensed atmosphere of 
the Gulph, for ten months out of twelve, forces its way, 
to be distributed over the great region which gives 
origin to that river. I shall not transcribe the arguments 
and reasonings of Mr. Volney, as his book has such a 
general circulation in the United State? ; but proceed 
to the statement of my reasons for doubting the correct- 
ness of his theory, which shall be done with all possible 
brevity. 

1. In the second chapter of the preceding v/ork, I 
have endeavored to show, that the south-west v/ind of 
this country is of two kinds ; which are denominated 
the wet and the dry. The former, there is much rea- 
son to believe, comes from the Gulph of Mexico, and is 
a volume of intra-tropical air, gravitating towards the 
poles in the manner suggested by Br. Hadley. It sinks 
the barometer, swells the hygrometer, and prevails 
throughout the night, with clouds and rain. But the 
the dry south-west, has little or no effect in the baror 
meter, shrinks the hygrometer, and prevails only in the 
day, with a sky grnt rally clear. Hence there is mueh 
reason for assigning to them diCerent causes, and dis- 



548 APPENDIX. 

tinct soTirces ; and consequently for believing that th© 
latter is not from the Gulph. 

3. The trade wind does not cease at night, but the 
dry south-west invariably terminates at evening, u;iiess 
rain be approaching ; when the humid south-west suc- 
ceeds to it, and continues the current, with its own pe- 
culiar qualities. But if the trade wind had nocturnal 
intermissions, it could not account for the evening sus- 
pension and morning revival of the south-west wind of 
this country. It requires several hours for a column 
of air to pass from the Gulph to the Ohio, and it would 
be impossible that the succeeding day's wind, in these 
valiies, should result from the sun's action on the Gulph 
the preceding day; as the wind seems to commence, 
over the v/hole of this country, nearly at the same time. 

3. From a journal of the winds at Baton Rouge, in 
the state of Louisiana, kept at my request by Dr. C R. 
French, from the 5l\i of September to the I2lh of Octo- 
ber 1811, it appears that the soufh-westwind prevailed 
at Cincinnati, during that period, for thirteen days, 
■when it was not felt at the former place; and occurred 
there on two days, when it did not blow here. And 
from another register of the winds, kept by Mr. D. C. 
Wallace, on a voyage to New-Orleans in the months of 
November and December, it is ascertained, that the 
jsame wind prevailed here for six days, when a diifereut 
wind blew on ihe Mississippi. 

4. On the afternoon of the 47th September, 1811, 
there was nearly a total eclipse of the sun. At Cincin- 
nati the day was fair, with a brisk arid south-west. As 
the obscuration increased, the wind died away; and 
abated entirely before the eclipse was at its maximum. 
Af e-it was past, the wind gradually revived, and con- 
tinjLvI till sun set, when it Ceased, as usual. Now, did 
this wiuil depend on a centrifugal power acting over the 
Gulph of 3Iexico, its operation certainly could not have 
been suspen led by the temporary absence of ihe sun's 
ii;uU'j)ice on this coujitry. 

5. If this wind depeiided on the action of the sun 
upon thj atmosphere of the nerlhern tropic aiid the 
Guiphj it would of necessity be most prevaleut whea 



APPENDIX. 543 

tliaf action is greatest, viz. in July and Augnst ; but 
this is by no mmns U' iformly the ease. It often pre- 
vails more in Septeniher than any other month Even 
in October, when the sun is vertical to places beyond 
the eastern pronioufory of South America, this has con- 
tinued to be the prevalent vvinJ alon^ the Ohio. And 
for a week before, arid tvvo weeks after the summer sol- 
stice, 1 have ki5own this wind to blow here but five days. 

6. According to IMr Volney's own statement, the 
atmosphere of the Gu'ph, from sending; out immeasura- 
ble quantities of air alou^lhe slopes of the Mississippi, 
must need a correspondiog; supply from the northeast^ 
and hence the frequency of north-east storms along tha 
sea board of the Atlantic states. If this were true, how 
could it be reconciled with the theory which requires 
that region to be crowded and condensed with air 
from the sotith-east, before it can emit any to the north- 
east ? If t!ie south-west wind be only the superfluous 
air of the Gulphy it can continue no longer than till 
such superfluity is expended ; which will be, whenever 
the density of the atmosphere of that quarter (provided 
it ever have any unusual density) is reduced to that of 
the adjacent continents. A fountain will cease to over- 
flow, when its surface is reduced to the level of its banks; 
and it is the prop«*rty of an elastic body to return when 
bent, but not to become permanently crooked the other 
way. If air be accumulated and condensed over the 
Gulph by the trade wind, its elasticity may cause it to 
escape in the different directions assigned by Mr. Vol- 
ney; but it can only continue to escape until the equili- 
brium of density is restored. Its centrifugal tendency 
must necessarily cease, long before any vacuum is pro- 
duced. 

7. But it appears to me that Mr. Volncy ha« failed 
to prove that the trade wind produces an accumulation 
of air in the Gulph of Mexico. The fundamental posi- 
tion in his theory is, that the mountains to the west 
of the Gulph mechanically obstruct and turn back the 
trade winds; but for which, they would pass into tho 
Pacific ocean. In the progress of the enquiry, hov/- 
ever. he seems to forget this, and speaks of the deflected 



250 APPENDIX. 

trades ascending and passing over the mountains of tlie 
United States aiid of Mexico. That an {erial current 
can possess more momentum after, than before deflec- 
tion, is at least paradoxical. Cut an author's aban- 
doning a theory, does not prove il incorrect ; and I will 
proceed to enquire — Nvhather the trade wind be ob- 
structed by the mountains of Darien ^ This wind is 
caused by the superior action of the sun on the torrid 
zone. The point to which that luminary is vertical, 
is a foCHS of snetion. which moves from east to west, 
giving the wind unceasingly a similar direction. It 
therefore depends on an attracting, rather than a pro- 
pelling power. It is in some degree analagous to the 
stream produced by lowering the walls of a cislern, 
instead of au2:mentin^ the volume of the water which 
jt contains. It results from the law which gives all 
fluids a tendency to preserve an equilibriuoi ; and could- 
the equilibrium be restored over the surface of the ocean, 
4he wind would cease. B^jt this cannot be, The par- 
ticles of air which have flown in obliquely from the 
north and the south, to replace those which ascended, 
are themselves at length rarefied, and ascend gradually 
during their progress westward. In those parts of the 
ocean which are remote from land, and between the 
tropics, this operation is perpetual. But the interven- 
tion of land eil*ectually destroys the process. The rare- 
fied tract no longer beingproduced, the currents depend 
dent on it cease. Thus we find even islands, between 
the tropics, are without this constant fiiix, and exhibit 
cither regular land and sea breezes, or a system ot 
winds as various and capricious as tliose of the conti- 
nent ; and thus the mountains to the west of the Gnlph 
cf Mexico, by not favoring the generation of the rare- 
fied focus, on which the trade wind depends, put an in- 
stantaneous stop to that current. Mr. Volney's notions 
concerning our south-west wind, appear to have been 
suggested i)y the established theory of th^ Gulph stream. 
That a perpetual current of air, from Africa to Ameri- 
ca, can heap up the waters in the Gulph of Mexico, and 
cause a reflux, is unquestionable. Such a wind is to 
tke waters a propelling, an a posteriori power. The 



APPENDIX. 251 

aqueous surface is unceasingly driven forwards. But 
the wind itself is not caused by a propellinEj agent : it 
is simply an eSort to restore the eqailibiiuoi, which 
has been destroyed by the action of the.- sun, and must 
cease whenever that effect is produced, or the destruc- 
tion of equilibrium ceases. Heace between the causes 
of these two currents, there is not the analogy which 
Mr. Voiney supposed. To sum up the whole — th© 
aqueous is the eifect of the serial current ; which results 
from the rarefying action of the solar rays : the inter- 
pesition (if a mound will cause the former to become 
retrograde, or flow off laterally to find its level ; but 
the same iuterpositioii must necessarily terminate the 
latter altogether, by destroying its cause. If it should 
be asked — are there not columns of air behind, that 
may continue to arrive and become accumulated against 
the mountains of the isthmus ? It may be answered, 
that heated air is not prone to horizontal, but vertical 
action ; that those particles which, in the middle of 
the Atlantic ocean, for instance, have a horizontal direc- 
tion, become at length so much warmed and rarefied, 
that they begin to ascend; and that before they reach 
theGuIph, they mount into the higher regions of tha 
atmosphere, and flow off towards the poles. That 
those particles which in the centre of the Gulph have 
a similar direction, ascend likewise by the time they 
arrive at its western shore; and consequently, that a 
perpetual wind may set towards the rampart of the 
isthmus, without impinging on it. 

These facts and arguments, it appears to me, invali- 
date Mr. Volney's theory, if they do not subvert it ; aud 
justify our withholding from it an expression of assefitj 
altho' they furuish data for no other. This indeed is 
not my object : and the oidy suggestion whkh I shall 
hazard, is, that our arid south-west wind seems to be 
produced by the direct action of the sun on the surface 
of the continent, instead of the ocean ; but in what 
manner such an effect is produced, 1 shall leave for the 
eonsideratioa of the philosophical meteorologist. 

THE EKD. 



INDEX 



A. »AGE. 

Agricultural produce - 54 
Alluvial lands - - - 63 
Anthelmintics - - -87 
Antiq\iities ... 199 
Artificial Mineral Waters 197 
Astringents - - - 8S 
Attornies &. Counsellors') --.w 
at Law 5 ^'^ 

Aurora Borealis - - 245 



Banks - - - .150 

Baptist Church - - 163 

Barrens - - - - 46 

Benevolent Society - - 173 

Bible Society - - - 16t 

Boone county - - - 59 

Botany - - - - 76 

Bridges - - - -219 

Brookville • - - 57 

Buildings - - . 134 

Butler county - • - 41 

C. 

Calcareous region • 
Calendar of fl ^ra 
Campbell county 
Canals .... 
Capital punishments 
Catulpa tree ... 
Cathartics 
Causes of Disease 
Champaign county - 
Cincinnati, its position, "5 

aspect and elevntion 5 
Cincinnati Lancaster-Se-7 

minary ^ 



64 

88 

59 

221 

177 

119 

87 

187 

46 

61 
155 



Cincinnati University 
Civil TopQgrapliy - 
Ciermont county 
Climate - , - 

Change of - 

■ Comparison of^ 

in Eastern and 

Western S lates 

■ Temperature of 

Clinton county 

Clouds - - - 

Columbia 

Commerce 

Corporation 

Covington 

County Commissioners 

Court of Common Pleas 

Supreme 



PAftU. 

- 157 

- 129 

- 38 

- 91 

- ^7 



\ 



D. 

Dark county - * 
Dayton - - , 
Dearborn county 
Demulcents 
Diseases, c;iuse of - 

Prevailing 

Diuretics 
Domestic animals 
Draining the streets 
Dyes 



E. 



Earthquakes 
Eaton 
Education 
Emetics < 



115 

93 

45 
103 

37 
148 
173 

60 
175 
176 
176 



49 
43 

57 

87 
187 
179 

87 

56 
132 

87 



233 
43 

154 
87 



INDEX. 



1\ TXG-R. 

Flax - - - '55 

Flowering trees & shrubs 82 
Forest trees - - - 76 
Franklin - - - - 39 
Franklin county - - 57 
Friends Society - - 163 
Fruits . ... 55 
Fuel - - - - 140 



Geology • - - - 64 

Gold dust . - - 72 

Gneiss - - - - 74 

Graduation of the streets 132 

Grain - - - -54 

Granite masses - - 74 

Great Miami - - - 34 

Green county - • - 45 

Greenville - - - 50 

H. 

Hamilton - . - 41 

Hamilton county - - 37 

Hoar-frost - - - 10$ 

Humidity - v - 108 

I. 

I:idlans • - - - 25 

J ad i an Summer - - 110 

Indiana Territory - - 57 

Justices of the Peace - 175 

K. 

Kentucky - - - 58 
Population of - 28 



L. 

Land, prices of 

Titles - 

Lawrenceburgh 
Library - 
Licking- river - 
Little Miami - 
Loam, stratum of 
Lots, prices of 
Louisville, future conse- 
q'lence of 



53 

SO 
57 

160 
58 
35 
73 

131 

230 



M. PAGE. 

Mammoth bones - - 70 

Manufactures - - - 142 

Marine exuvioc - - 67 

Markets - - - - 140 

Masonic Lodg-e - - 165 

Materia Medica - - 84 

Materials for building - 133 

Meadows - - - 55 

Medical Topography - 179 

Metals - - - 68 72 
Methodist Eplsco. Church 162 



Miami country 
Miami county - 
Miami University 
Mica-slate 
Militia - 
Mill-creek 
Mineral Springs 
Ministerial lands 
Mississippi river 
Montgomery county 



Negroes - 

Newport 

Newspapers 



N. 



O. 



34 

48 
157 

74 
172 

36 
192 
165 
226 

43 



- 170 

- 59 
. 152 



Ohio river, description of 13 

State of - - « 13 

its situation ? . - 

and aspects 

discovery & 7 - « 

settlement 5 

— — .— jurisdiction"^ 

and right ^ 21 
of soil J 

— — population - 26 

Indians - - 25 

Oxford - - - - 42 



I Parakeet - - - - 

; Petre factions - - - 
j Physical I opography 
! Pittsbur.c^h, its position , - 
j — future conO 

t sequence 5 



118 
67 
61 
13 

22$ 



INDEX. 



Plan of the town . - 130 

Poor, support of - - 173 

Political Importance - 177 

Political Topography - 169 

Post Office - . - 153 

Population of Cinclrinati - 170 

^ Kentucky - 27 



the Miami 1 

country 3 

Ohio - 

Tennessee - 

- 46 



Prairies - - - 
Preble county • 
Presbyterian Society 
Preservation from fire 
Projected Improvements - 219 
Proprietors of the Town - 129 



169 

26 
27 
70 
43 
161 
138 



Rain .... 104 

Reading - - - - 37 

Recorder's Office - - 175 

Reed - - - - 119 

Religion - - - - 161 

River shells - - - 70 

Roads - - - ' - 220 

Rossville • - - 42 

S. 

Salisbury - - - - 58 
Salts - - - - 68 
School of Literature and 1 
the Arts 5 

Seminary, Cin'ti. Lancaster 155 
Shakertowa - - - 40 
Shells, marine - - 67 

river - - - 70 

Sao\7 - - - - 106 



161 



- 121 

\ 247 

- 47 
. 165 

- 85 

- Ill 

- 173 

- 51 



Soft-shelled turtle - 
South-west Wind, theo- 
ry of 
Springfield 
State of Society 
Stimulants 

Storms - - - 
Support of the Poor 
Symmes* Patent 

T, 

Temperature of Climate 93 

Timber trees - ■ - 82 

Tonics - - - - 85 

Township officers - - 174 

Troy - - - - 48 

U. 

Union - - - •40 

United States' Landa - 52 

Urbana - - , - 46 

V. 
Virginia Military Reser- 7 kq 

vation S 

W, 

Warren county - - 38 

Washington - - - 49 

Water - - - .139 

Wayne county - - -57 

Weather - - - - 103 

Williamsburgh - - 38 

Wilmington - • - 46 

Winds - - - - 98 



X3nia 



X. 



- 45 



errata; 

Page 41 line 5 from bottom, for " €astV read west. 

— — 77 — *- 5 — — — *' tpecimen" read species. 

— — 94 5 atter the table,- for ** mo7ith,'* read winter. 

_ 136 7 from bottom, for •* Fourth,*' read Walnut. 

— 208 2 ** are " read is. 

=>=— » 31€ — ' 2 oftbefii'staote,for**c«n/Crff»*»^'*readstrengtli* 
tning. 



966 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




014 573 525 7 




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